Agitate Halation Arc

The Agitate Halation Arc is a story arc introduced in Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index. It occurs sometime in mid-November of the current year of the story timeline after the events of the Ichihanaransai in Academy City.

The story arc centers primarily around Fremea Seivelun, who is the linchpin of the plans concocted by Yakumi Hisako, a member of Academy City's Board of Directors, that on the surface tries to create a world without heroes: the Agitate Halation Project. Kamijou Touma, Kakine Teitoku, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Shokuhou Misaki, Rensa, Kumokawa Seria, Hamazura Shiage, Kuroyoru Umidori, Kinuhata Saiai, and Fraulein Kreutune all play fairly major or especially significant roles in this arc. While Accelerator, Misaka Mikoto, Kaizumi Tsugutoshi, Sogiita Gunha, ITEM minus Kinuhata Saiai, Kihara Yuiitsu, Kihara Noukan, and Yomikawa Aiho, among other characters, all play minor roles in this arc.

The arc is the second science side-only arc to be featured in Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index since the Freshmen Arc. It essentially serves as an extended epilogue of the previous arc, once again giving spotlight to Touma's determination to save people despite of treacheries and betrayals. Moreover, it connects and serves as a conclusion to the various plot threads that spread around the story, specifically those of Fremea Seivelun's. Essentially, it serves as novel for the growth of Fremea Seivelun, but also for Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Kuroyoru Umidori.

Beginnings
After being inserted by Kihara Yuiitsu with her intellectual curiosity similar to the Dark May Project unknowingly, Yakumi Hisako begins her plans of stepping into the realm of Aiwass and Kazakiri Hyouka as an AIM thought being, or even go beyond, as well as getting rid of the troublesome "heroes" of Academy City at the same time.

She presents a hypothetical catastrophe due to "heroes" and a countermeasure for them to the Academy City Board of Directors, who easily accepts the proposal. Moreover, most likely at the same time as this, Hisako submits another thesis regarding a catastrophe related to the Level 5s rebelling at the same time, and a countermeasure for them, the cyborg known as Rensa. The Board of Directors allows for the funding of the cyborg, which cost a huge chunk of the total assets of Academy City and the maintenance costs forced Hisako to make deals directly with the dark side of Academy City.

Implementation
It is unknown when Hisako started implementing the project, but the most likely time would be on November 5. After choosing Fremea Seivelun as the best subject for Agitate Halation, and had Matsusada aid in the construction of the Shading Computer that used the AIM diffusion fields as a medium despite the dangers it presented in being influenced by espers as well, Hisako manipulated the Freshmen into to attack Fremea Seivelun in order to input values of fear, anger, and joy into Fremea Seivelun's mind in order for her to attain the Agitate Halation. Moreover, it was also most likely so observe the effects of the Agitate Halation on the "heroes" such as Shiage and Accelerator.

Later, with the return of the Original Kakine Teitoku, which is referenced in the thesis as the secondary plan, Fremea was apparently incorporated into influencing events through the Agitate Halation. Kakine being freed from the Original Kakine Teitoku's control and aiding Fremea Seivelun despite the harm incurred on his person, may have been an experiment to determine the capabilities of Fremea's Agitate Halation Takitsubo Rikou's AIM Stalker may have severed his connection with the Original, but it is Fremea's Agitate Halation that may have allowed the surfacing of Kakine's personality that is different from the Original Kakine Teitoku and have coerced him into helping her.

Even before the riots of the heroes in the Learning Core, Hisako apparently intended to use or affect 7,500 heroes in the City through Agitate Halation.

Opponents
Though most of the Board of Directors were blind of Hisako's intentions, Kaizumi Tsugutoshi was not, and started an investigation regarding the project. Similarly, Tsuchimikado Motoharu starts an investigation of the project as well. Hisako however, was quite aware of their investigation and planned to get rid of them.

Manipulation of Kuroyoru Umidori
Between the events of the previous and the current arc, Kuroyoru Umidori tries to reestablish Freshmen on her own, trying to repair the connections that had been torn after their defeat at the hands of Shiage and Accelerator. As such, she is once again performing jobs for the higher ups in the city to regain her prestige in the dark side. As she is the counterbalance to Fremea, Hisako once again attempts to manipulate Umidori to get her close to Fremea in School District 13. Her job was aiding Yakumi Hisako in one of their occasional move from one stronghold to another, moving "money" in an attaché case from the old stronghold to the new.

Strike on Tsuchimikado Motoharu
As reprisal on Tsuchimikado Motoharu's investigation, Hisako makes the first move and somehow starts using the Agitate Halation to get rid of Motoharu as well Kaizumi Tsugutoshi due to the Agitate Halation's effect.

She begins the activation of the Agitate Halation for her own purposes in earnest, to use their "heroic qualities" in eliminating the both of them in one fell swoop. She first hires a 10-man team, consisting of former subordinates of the Spider Queen, such as Anjou Haruka, Kuromatsu Takao, and Imagawa Shiguma, to kill Tsuchimikado Maika, hidden under the guise of a tool of negotiation against him as a reprisal for his investigation of the Agitate Halation Project. Although, seeing the team as loose ends, she also added a Destroyer into it, most likely to hide their association with her. Moreover, she also intended to silence the Destroyer as well, and actually managed to have him assassinated using the Sniper Bee.

Motoharu however predicted Hisako's actions, though doesn't know exactly who is behind the Agitate Halation Project he has been investigating. He is forced to used dark side tactics to protect her, something that he never hoped to do. He forces her to believe that she has to clean an automated factory in School District 17 as an extracurricular activity. He then fakes her death by burning her dorm and having the media and the dark side believe that she has been killed. In essence, Motoharu has "killed" her officially, and made it look like those who were supposed to kill her was successful in doing so.

Moreover, seeing him as an apparent detriment to his revenge, had an unconscious Kamijou Touma sealed into a box, and have him shipped into the School Garden, where males are not allowed to tread.

A wild goose chase in the School Garden
When Touma wakes up, he finds himself inside a box, Motoharu then promptly contacts Touma and tells him of a magician named Umezaki Yuuga who intends to use Altar of the Wisdom King to the suck out all the knowledge and skills of everyone within 5 kilometers. Not only that, the act of sucking that knowledge and skill destroys, apparently similar to the destruction of synapses and automatic nerves. After Motoharu's brief explanation of the danger, he activates the plastic explosives in Touma's box, allowing for it to open, and much to Touma's surprise, he is in a girls' locker room in Private Shidarezakura Academy in the School Garden, forcing Touma to flee and hide.

As a hunting party of girls forms around searching for him, Touma tries to contact Motoharu but he would not answer, frustrating him that he shove all the responsibility to him. Touma needs to find a map to the School Garden in order to search for the likely places where an altar can be stored in the city of science. He later hides on a roof to hide from a searching party, where he discovers that information about him is apparently widely varying as they are unsure what he looks like, one even deeming him to be a monster like a white alligator, much to his chagrin. He continues trying to contact Motoharu, but later remembers that it sends out a signal that can be tracked, forcing him to turn it off. However, the searching party has noted the signal, and discovers that they are at the same spot as he is. They however, deem Touma to be underground instead of above them on a rooftop after they tracked his cellphone signal. After they've gone, Touma determines to keep on moving, and that the only way to do it is by jumping from rooftop to rooftop. However, is presence is discovered by Misaka Mikoto, much to Touma's horror. Seeing him on a rooftop, she attempts to pull him towards her by magnetizing his belt, but he negates that with his right hand and falls into the gap between the buildings, though is fine and manages to land into a store, scaring its occupants.

With Mikoto hot on his trail among others, Touma tries to find a way to escape the building. However, he comes upon a strange acting girl, who shows some familiarity towards him. She is Shokuhou Misaki, the 5th-ranked Level 5 who was currently controlling a girl from a different school. She references their meeting in Daihaseisai, though he cannot remember it, as well as their relationship to him in the past, to which only confusing him after hearing of his explanation about magic in the School Garden and the danger poses to it. She helps him by having her clique serve as bait for Mikoto while she, still controlling a girl, hide Touma. She also follows him around the Garden, aiding and giving him information whenever she can. She acts a bit playful when doing so, tricking him into looking at the half naked body of the girl she is using, making him look more insidious to the girls than before, and trying to scare him, but all and all she means well.

After having collected all the maps from all five schools of the School Garden, Touma reaches an impasse on where the Altar of the Wisdom King would be kept. Misaki, after her usual trickery and cunning, convinces a luggage entry inspector to let them use the data for items that have passed through, as she deemed that antiques or works of art such as what the Altar of the Wisdom King would be referred as would go through there. Later, trying to get into Shiraha Social Support Club, Misaki gives a suprisingly pragmatic approach to getting an authorization card from the girls attend there. Using anpan and milk, they drop them on a target girl, which allowed Misaki to steal an authorization card from the other girl next to her, using Touma is a decoy. Once inside, Touma searched for the spiritual item but could not find it. Misaki tells him to become suspicious of the source of the information that was given to him. Touma begins to doubt Tsuchimikado Motoharu's words when he dropped him off in School Garden to deal with the Altar of the Wisdom King himself. At that point, an airship showing the latest headlines shows a news regarding the death of Tsuchimikado Maika in a fire in her dorm. Misaki tells Touma that someone might have intentionally kept him inside School Garden like a cage in order for them to be able to do something else. From that point on, Touma completely abandons the wild goose chase as well as Misaki.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu's search for revenge
As Maika's dorm burns and with Touma temporarily out of the way, Motoharu begins his vengeance and search for the perpetrator that had him break his own code to protect Maika.

Fugan Ryuuzou
He first visits the designer of the weapon that would have been used to kill his sister, Fugan Ryuuzou. He manhandles and handcuff Ryuuzou. He asks the reason but Motoharu says that he can answer it himself. He then sees the news of the burning of Maika's dormitory, and pleads to Motoharu that he only sold the designs and have done no wrong directly to him with his hands. With a cold smile, Motoharu says that he is lying and knows that Ryuuzou knows the people the weapon he designed for because he is meticulous in that manner. Ryuuzou demands proof but Motoharu lets him go, taking a toolbox from his truck and lining up a tools on the street. Motoharu threatens Ryuuzou with novel ways of torturing him and comes for his finger. Ryuuzou acquiesces to Motoharu's threats and says that he will talk, an advantageous event for Motoharu as he had no time to torture Ryuuzou. Motoharu tells him that he will kill him if they are seen and says that he should tell him everything quickly. Ryuuzou laments in getting caught in something that he should have not been and fears for his life against them. Ryuuzu says to Motoharu that he wasn't able to track the people that commissioned him, saying that it was his first time in losing the trail to them. He states that the very fact that he lost their trail indicates that they are too dangerous to investigate. Seemingly satisfied with this, Motoharu lets Ryuuzou but takes away his business phone. Motoharu indicates that he is impressed by the fact that he hid the gold bars that he got from doing requests in designing weapons inside his tanker truck and labeled it as Diazinon Insecticide to deter Anti-Skill. However, after tossing it towards the still detained Ryuuzou, he discovers that Motoharu has contacted the hyenas of Academy City and divulged his secret towards them. Motoharu announces that he has 5 to 10 minutes left before they arrive, and that someone important may be mixed in with them that would lead him to a person that could give better information than Ryuuzou. Motoharu says that he will not kill him because it is more effective to have him struggle. He however recommends Ryuuzou to wait out the storm by hiding. He then proceeds to crush his right knee. In pain, the man screams as Motoharu curses him for though "he did not pull the trigger he made the gun" so to speak. Ryuuzou tells him that he cannot run away if he is handcuffed, but Motoharu says he doesn't care. Struggling around, Ryuuzou asks what Motoharu is trying to get to go this far, and he replies the Agitate Halation Project.

The Spider Queen
The hyenas later arrive, dismantle the trailer and separately carry the gold bars to a single location, so that a mediator can pick it up and have it laundered. Using a special perfume, Clairpharm #1056, Motoharu tracks the gold bars into an abandoned laundromat. He finds two guards and quickly dispatches, and there here meets the Spider Queen. She tries to draw out her firearm but stops as it would draw Anti-Skill into the laundromat. Spider Queen is angered on how Motoharu must've put a scent on it to track it. Motoharu taunts the Spider Queen about the perfume he used to mark the gold bars, and the Spider Queen acquiesces to an exchange. Motoharu asks about who would want to kill someone for a name like the Agitate Halation Project. The Spider Queen points out that he is overestimating him, though Motoharu doesn't buy it, stating that it her specialty in dealing with the people below her. The Spider Queen lies, stating that she can only wrap her "web" around those she deals with directly as an intermediary. Motoharu sees through her lie, and tells her that she needs information from people that aren't just her allies, blatantly stating that she knows more than she is willing to tell. The Spider Queen sighs at his discovery, and tells that she should just kill him and abandon the gold. Motoharu states that he knows that she may be killed if the information gets out, and suggests faking her death and getting cosmetic surgery as she has the funds for it. Frustrated, the Spider Queen tells Motoharu that she hasn't worked and allocated any personnel for anything related to the term Agitate Halation. Motoharu asks if she could've taken a job from it without being told the name, to which the Spider Queen says it is a possibility. However, she points out that she should have heard of the term at some point during the job. She tells of pawns using the internet to get dangerous jobs directly without use of intermediaries such as her. Motoharu asks if there is a way of knowing when that happens. She tells that there are a few pawns who have left her control in the middle of another job, but that's the limit of her knowledge. She says that Motoharu is free to attack them but doubts he will find what he is looking for. Motoharu states that it is fine, stating that he would try them all and hopes of getting the right one while doing so. The Spider Queen then writes down the names on a corn starch paper using chocolate ink, stating that Motoharu could eat it to get rid of the information she has written.

With that, the Spider Queen asks what perfume Motoharu used, to which he states is Clairpharm #1056. Hearing that is was a cheap perfume that could easily disappear at 300 degrees, the Spider Queen throws a tantrum and looks like she might fire her gun like crazy. Motoharu flips her off as one last mocking gesture and leaves, eating the memo.

The Destroyer
Tracking down the person's on the memos, Motoharu finds that a 10-man team was hired to kill Maika, but then discovers that all but one have died unnatural deaths. Starting from a mall in School District 15 and eventually on the rooftops of the district, Motoharu chases the last member of the team. Motoharu had to contend against the man's Ultrasonic weapon, Motoharu manages to turn the tables on the man, and injuring him. Torturing him, he tells Motoharu his profession. He is a Destroyer, who is employed to kill his comrades. This confirms that the deaths of his teammates was not a cover up for the killing of his sister. Motoharu demands to know who behind all this is, to which he does not want to say for he fears them greater than the pain that Motoharu would undoubtedly do to him. As Motoharu tries to goad him through the use of a queer torture method, someone hits the man with the Sniper Bee. An assassin was sent to execute him, and Motoharu is forced into hiding. In excruciating pain, the man asks for reprieve, to which Motoharu is willing to help save his life in exchange for the information. The destroyer tells him of Yakumi Hisako, to which Motoharu gives him a bottle of toothpaste to use, the same one that he would use for his torture a while ago. Little did the man know that Motoharu was incapable of saving him, and gave him the toothpaste to consume as a means to give him a quick death. Pinned down by a sniper, Motoharu is forced to use his magic, and destroys the roof below him to escape. He is injured because of the backlash. Knowing that the sniper would report to the person running the Agitate Halation Project, Motoharu moves quickly towards School District 13.

A close encounter
Motoharu visits Yakumi Hisako in her hospital in School District 13, he takes the highly virulent Wildcard coccus from the Critical Pathogen Specimen Freezer from the hospital, and had manipulated Hisako into being alone. She falls right into his hands, and subdues her as she tries to evacuate the hospital. He tells her that she is not the one he is after but Kaizumi Tsugutoshi, apparently the one who is running Agitate Halation Project and the cause of his sister's "death". Being a member of the Board of Directors, he knows that they have ways of contacting each other. He demands her to hand it over as so to tell them that he will be coming over, and Hisako complies. Little did he know that his true enemy was right before him and he let her slip away.

Hisako later laughs at how she survived in the "billiards game" that is the Agitate Halation Project, and notes that since she survived it means that the project is within the acceptable margins of error, disregarding Rensa 28's reports. After going through their "patients", Hisako tells Rensa to begin the final phase of their plan. Already finding where Fremea is located, she will be the leverage point, while Kuroyoru Umidori will be forced into being the counterbalance. She and Rensa later go to where Fremea is located to start the next phase of the operation themselves. Motoharu would later passes by a tanning salon, by a tanning salon, probably deliberately, killing the bacteria, not intending to use it at all as it is too indiscriminate.

End of the search
Both Kumokawa Seria and Kaizumi Tsugutoshi are in School District 3, and they are not ignorant of Motoharu's rampage. Seria warns of Motoharu's impending advance towards them after being contacted by him that he is coming and he is serious. Although he predicted that he would come for them, he asks Seria what to do next. Seria states that no matter what they do, Motoharu will always go after them, as such, the only way to deal with him is to confront him head on, telling Tsugutoshi to remove all the normal guards, removing his hiding places.

Seeing him as a threat to their plans to stop Yakumi Hisako's Agitate Halation Project, the both of them is determined to stop Motoharu and his clichéd rampage of revenge. Seria says that they need someone to intercept him, and says that she will make preparations in which breaking in the front door is the only route available for him. She then suggests that she herself will suffice, and will use a method that Motoharu will hate the most.

Kumokawa Seria vs. Tsuchimikado Motoharu
Although Motoharu is cautious of the fact that it seems they are luring him in, he predictably enters the only route Seria has given him. There, she confronts him in the entrance hall and says how she thought he would choose this route, the two schoolmates. Motoharu mocks her ineptness as he can simply shoot her from his position and she has no cover. But Seria reiterates her point and blankly states that she has total control over him. Motoharu asks if the Agitate Halation Project is important enough to warrant the "death" of his sister, to which Seria states that she has no obligation to answer him. Motoharu reminds her that he has the Wildcard coccus, but Seria states that Motoharu had no intention of releasing the bacteria in the first place as he didn't have the guts, as is the reason why she isn't wearing a mask and protective suit. Seria notes on how he didn't just scatter it beforehand and even had to contact them saying that he does so as proof of her knowledge, and she was right. Kumokawa Seria has profiled Motoharu before he arrived. Seria points out that Motoharu likes to thinks himself different from other people in the dark side of Academy City, a sense of professionalism that would not allow himself to involve people who are not part of the dark side, as such he will not use W. coccus. Hearing this, Motoharu asks her if he can read his pain, to which Seria says that it is cliched. Motoharu agrees, but warns her that she doesn't everything about him and that even if her data on him is accurate it is still faulty. Seria points out that what he's thinking is because she led him to hinking it. And with that, there is nothing left to discuss between them.

Wanting to quickly eliminate her, Motoharu makes the first move and takes out a fully automatic handgun. He shoots at her, but it did not hit her. Despite his marksmanship, and the fact that Seria did not do any special tricks, none of the bullets hit her as she descends the staircase. She keeps on smiling and asks if he thought that a full automatic weapon would make his "heart" disappear. She tells him that no matter what weapon he wields, so long as it is wielded by human hands, the human hear will bleed through, allowing for it to create an opening that she can take advantage of. Motoharu, annoyed takes a handgun that was rigged to become an explosive. With a range of three meters, the handgun explodes, but Seria remains unscathed, and once again mocks Motoharu. He shoots his handgun on her, trying not to let her advance, but it does not good against her.

Kumokawa Seria has analyzed and read every move Tsuchimikado Motoharu has made as well as used her surroundings to influence his decisions. Using her mind, she took control of their "hearts" and made use of their fear to make them lose their true potential. Seria decides to walk leisurely according to rationalizations. Motoharu approached right in front of her, abandoning his weapons and opted for hand to hand combat. However, Motoharu was an open book, and she could read all of his moves, claiming that his status has dropped to the same level as an average high school girl. Suddenly, Motoharu's hand reached out and plucked out her eyeballs. However, despite this, Seria simply mocks at his attempts. With a smile, she revealed a hidden handgun inside her sleeve and shot at Motoharu's gut, making him collapse. Seria points out his flaw, she states that he was the type to slowly savor his revenge, but when he started to eliminate her as quickly as possible, he should've realized that he was being led on by her. With the deed done, Seria tries to call Tsugutoshi on how it is over, and to prepare the parts she had put in Micro Cosmos as a replacement for her missing eye.

Just then however, she felt a strange pressure in her chest. She soon discovers that Motoharu is still alive and that he is using her eyeball for a spell. It is magic, something Seria has no knowledge about on Motoharu, the only missing part in her profile on him. Using her eye as a medium, Motoharu was able to put a curse on Seria and she collapses, a battle won out of simple lack of information. Motoharu can't celebrate just yet however as he still has to deal with Tsugutoshi. Believing that the normal paths towards him have traps, Motoharu, despite being injured from being shot and using magic, opts to climb from the outside the building to reach the 50th floor where Tsugutoshi's office lie.

As Motoharu goes to Tsugutoshi, Seria comes to. Exhausted, Seria could only move her fingers, she took her phone and used an anonymous address to contact someone who could stop Motoharu. Influenced by Agitate Halation, using all her might she sent a message to someone whom she deemed to be a hero that could stop Motoharu, Kamijou Touma. Meanwhile, Touma who has just escaped the School Garden, is now able to turn his cellphone now. He receives Seria's message shortly after. He then proceeds to the location provided by Seria in her message. Seria withdraws before Touma arrived at the location.

Subjugation of Kaizumi Tsugutoshi
Knowing that he will be facing an unpleasant situation, Tsugutoshi drinks alcohol. Suddenly, Motoharu bursts into the office behind him. Meeting each other's sights, Motoharu asks him if he is prepared, to which Tsugutoshi confirms. Motoharu states that his death will not be quick but protracted and painful, but Tsugotoshi states that he was prepared for such a thing the moment he sat on his chair. However, he warns him that he may not understand what's going on and that even though killing him will end his revenge, he will never reach satisfaction as he does not know the truth. Motoharu says that he doesn't care for the Agitate Halation Project anymore, and only revenge is in his mind on everyone who is behind it. Tsugotoshi asks that if that's true, then would his revenge not end when Motoharu dies. Tsugotoshi lays down his cards, he plainly states that it was Motoharu that has "killed" Maika after discovering a reprisal on his investigations were afoot. To protect her, Motoharu faked the death of his sister by using techniques of the dark side of Academy City. Tsugotoshi points out that his revenge is nothing by a farce. Motoharu states that the mere fact that someone targeting her life made him reach pass his boiling, as is the reason for his rampage. The old man does not understand why he didn't do his revenge behind the scenes, but Motoharu replies that is because he "killed" her. Despite saving her and the possibility of her life getting back to normal, he still betrayed her by breaking the rules he had set-up for himself, and used the ways of the dark side of Academy City. Tsuchimikado Motoharu has failed from saving Tsuchimikado Maika from getting involved in the dark side of Academy City. That is the reason why he has been going into a irrational rampage unbecoming of his cold demeanor when it comes to the dark side of Academy City.

Hearing his explanation, Tsugutoshi warns that the Agitate Halation Project runs much deeper than he thinks, and things will grow much worse. Motoharu accuses the old man of being behind the project himself. Tsugutoshi doesn't convince him any further knowing that he will not listen to what he will say, and says to Motoharu that he will understood soon enough. Having enough of his ramblings, Motoharu prepares for the man's torture, silencing him with a single blow, and tied his arms and legs to the chair with wire. Still conscious, Tsugutoshi tells him that he has not the time to a disbelieving Motoharu, who believes that he no longer has any pawns and allies. Tsugutoshi points out that it has nothing to do with whose side anyone is on. Motoharu mocks him for saying that a totally unrelated hero will show up. However, he still continues saying that a hero will surely come, and that he will now learn what he has been involved in. Just then, the elevator to the office has arrived.

Tsugutoshi states that he has no idea who will come for him, and that he or she may not be involved in the darkness at all. However, he tells him that he or she will surely be his enemy. Tsugutoshi then realizes that him being killed was not the call by for Motoharu and the person to defeat each other. It was set up that way since the beginning. Motoharu becomes confused, realizing that his clash with Seria and Tsugutoshi were nothing but a means to an end. Wanting some answers, Motoharu demands Tsugotoshi to tell him of his involvement with the Agitate Halation Project, to which he confirms to him that he is just like him, working to try and destroy the Agitate Halation Project. He says that his failure to stop it may be enough of a reason for him to being involved in Maika's "death". While Motoharu is confused, Tsugutoshi asks what Motoharu will do now, stating that if the both of them are defeated, no one will be able to stop the Agitate Halation Project. He suggests to him to flee, but Motoharu states that he has no choice, and that he will defeat the one who is behind those elevator doors as so he can continue his revenge. However, when the door opened, Motoharu's worst possible enemy has arrived, the possibility that he had feared the most, the arrival of Kamijou Touma.

Kamijou Touma vs. Tsuchimikado Motoharu
Touma arrives just in time to discover an injured Tsuchimikado Motoharu with a tied up Kaizumi Tsugutoshi. He is horrified by what he sees as it is so unlike the precise Tsuchimikado Motoharu. Touma tries to inquire what's happening due to his confusion, but receives no explanation. Seeing Touma, Tsugutoshi tells Motoharu not to fight as he could escape the predictions that the Agitate Halation has laid out for him, but he is knocked unconscious by him. Motoharu asks Touma how much he knows, to which he says that he knows nothing at all. Motoharu is troubled by Touma's answer as he has nothing to base his decisions on. He tells Touma that he must continue with his revenge and must not stop, and will not allow Touma to follow him down. He pulls his gun at Touma but discovers that he has used up all his bullets, something that was clumsy for him. With a sigh, he ignores Touma's words, and with his battered and weak body, engages in battle against Touma. And they fight, but Touma realized something strange with Motoharu's actions, he was being clumsy, and Touma, someone could never beat Motoharu in a fight, is able to dodge and block and counter him. The Tsuchimikado Motoharu that Kamijou Touma was fighting was nothing but a mere shadow of his former self. Touma beats and batters Motoharu, answering his fumbles with hits. Seeing the utter despair that has consumed the once bright spirit of Tscuchimikado Motoharu that could easily subdue Kamijou Touma, he yells at Motoharu what he was doing. Motoharu finally collapses to the ground, and Touma continues to beat him up, asking what he is doing, what he has become. Motoharu's last action is to spit blood on Touma, who easily blocked him, and there, falls unconscious. Touma, however, weeps for his friend, disgusted with the victory he had against him, and asks him questions that he cannot answer to him.

After Touma defeats Motoharu, he tries to call the ambulance, but Tsugutoshi stops him, saying that if he calls an ambulance for him, he will surely be killed. Tsugutoshi tells Touma that the one behind the Agitate Halation Project, Yakumi Hisako, hoped to eliminate anyone who would interrupt the project by having them defeat each other, and they have been built into these plans. However, Tsugutoshi states that since they were alive means that the situation has already left their expectations, telling Touma that Motoharu will surely live. He points out to Touma that because of that, they have now have the opportunity to counterattack. Touma ponders on he is supposed to fight, and what led Motoharu to his current ends. Tsugutoshi tells Touma that if he truly considers himself as Tsuchimikado Motoharu's friend, then his top priority must be what he was trying to protect, Tsuchimikado Maika. He warns that all of Motoharu's actions were motivated to protect Maika, but warns that the ones behind the Agitate Halation project may have seen through Motoharu's ruse and may even reach Maika. He plainly tells Touma that someone needs to stop them. Touma believes that this is supposed to be Motoharu's job, but the old man's words convince him that he is out of the picture, though he does not take it kindly. Tsugutoshi asks what Touma will do. Touma gritted his teeth, and decides that he will protect Maika. He asks where she is, to which Tsugutoshi answers that she is not in her dorm, referencing on how Motoharu was thorough in hiding her. Hearing this, Touma is left no choice but to attack whoever was running the Agitate Halation project and stop them. He steals the documents on the project from Tsugutoshi and begins leaving. Tsugutoshi says that what matters to him is that Touma stops Agitate Halation, but advises to that he should save a life in the process. Touma says that he will but only her life, and states that the only one who can truly save Tsuchimikado Maika isn't him. Touma unties Tsugutoshi, but warns him that if he lets Motoharu die, he will become his enemy.

Touma takes documents from Tsugutoshi, and reads about the Agitate Halation Project, how it works, who is behind it, and its core, which Touma realizes is a familiar name to him, Fremea Seivelun.

Chaos in School District 13
It is evening, after Beetle 05, who has spent the entire day as Fremea's keychain, helps Fremea for school the next day, he tries to leave through the window, but Fremea asks him to stay, though he refuses. As Fremea goes to bed, an audible cracking noise comes out from him, and his little beetle form rolls down unto the floor. Cracking all over and struggling, Fremea goes over to him. Here, Kakine realizes that someone (Rensa #28) is interfering with his Dark Matter, and notes how their draw is very powerful. Realizing that the hijacking and ruining of his body was not to harm but to make others, namely Fremea, know that he is injured. The beetles tries to communicate this Fremea, but fails miserably, making her worry even more as his voice came out like a scream. Worried, Fremea takes the beetle form Kakine to find help, specifically Shiage, leaving her dorm through the emergency exit, and alerting the entire building.

Fighting in the streets
Meanwhile, Hamazura Shiage and Kinuhata Saiai who were doing a stake out near Fremea's dorm when they heard the alarm, which confuses Shiage as Beetle 05 could've easily taken care of any enemy. Saiai however, doesn't care about the details and urges Shiage to quickly investigate what's happening.

Kinuhata Saiai and Hamazura Shiage's encounter with Yakumi Hisako
Shiage and Saiai later hear the sound of explosions as the result of Kuroyoru Umidori's battle with Rensa, who has initiated another phase of her and Yakumi Hisako's plan. Fearing that Fremea is involved, they rush towards the sight of the blast. The both of them suspect the Freshmen, though they are open to any possibility. Suddenly, an exhausted Yakumi Hisako arrives, telling them to stop, though she realizes that they would be the easiest hero to draw using Fremea Seivelun (relating to the Agitate Halation). This confuses Shiage, but Hisako too realizes that words have no meaning to "heroes", and decides to try a more convincing reason for them to give up. Then, sounds of chaos erupts of all around them. Saiai warns Shiage that they are surrounded, and there they see innumerable cockroaches surrounding them, all under the control of Yakumi Hisako. The two are already disgusted enough but Hisako reveals that she has modified their brains to make them eat anything and everything, even people.

The man-eating cockroaches slowly approached them. As Saiai has the Offense Armor, she is protected from the roaches, and suggests Shiage split up with her. Shiage hesitates but Hisako cuts into their conversation, warning them that it is a dangerous gamble as though they may not be able to eat a wall of nitrogen created by her Offense Armor, she may not able to create the wall in the first place. Saiai points out that the conditions are similar to Hisako, as she too has something that protects her and sends orders to them. Shiage tries to stop Saiai from advancing, but Saiai points out that Hisako may have the ability to attack multiple places and that they can't leave Fremea unprotected. Hisako however taunts them of even believing that they can get away, but Saiai is unperturbed. Still confident, Hisako explains the reason she chose roaches is because the disgusting image they sow, causing more mental exhaustion than other insects like termites, and affecting her Personal Reality which controls Saiai's powers. The explanation alone was almost enough to overwhelm Shiage, but Saiai ignores it and tells him to run. Shiage still hesitates, but Saiai asks him if he is willing to let Fremea see the grotesque things that came from the dark side of Academy City. She reiterates that being the one that Fremea trusts is and is attached to the most, he has the obligation to live up to the trust, and that means not allowing her to see the things that the both of them have seen. With a nod, Shiage runs away from the battle, apologizing to Saiai, though she answers that she never even thought he could be any help.

Saiai's battle concludes after Rensa's defeat at the hands of Kamijou Touma. Saiai is coated with the liquids of the dead cockroaches, specifically her Offense Armor. With countless dead roaches, countless more swarm and consume the body of Yakumi Hisako. Saiai made used of the fact that she modified the air around her by simply using nitrogen for her Offense Armor. This allows her somewhat to control air currents through tactically calling in the nitrogen for her use, and allowed Saiai to destroy the optimal layout of the "scent" Hisako used to control her roaches. Thus, the cockroaches turned on their master. However, all the while Hisako being eaten alive, she continued to smile. Saiai asks her, unnerved by this. With a laugh, Hisako says that getting killed was part of her plan all along. Hisako boasts on how the plans they know of is not all of it, and scoffs at their ignorance. Saiai asks what her plan was to go so far to get herself killed like a disposable pawn, but Hisako just gives off a smug retort of asking the 7,500 "heroes" that have been summoned by Agitate Halation. Hisako "dies" with a smile, stating that the final phase is complete and the Agitate Halation Project comes into its completion. Kinuhata could not grasp when that woman had died as the roaches scatter away to parts unknown.

Kamijou Touma's encounter with self-proclaimed heroes
At the same time as the chaos erupting, Touma arrives at School District 13 as well, though not knowing where exactly Fremea is. Touma is attacked by the Paper Bag Bunny Girl, as the result of Fremea Seivelun's Agitate Halation. She is completely unhinged before him, not making any sense, and utterly vicious with her water tank and nozzle that can propel water from it. Not knowing if it’s an advanced technology or an esper ability of hers, Touma becomes extremely anxious around her, along with the fact that she is strange and unpredictable.

As soon as she tries to attack Touma with her water jet, she is blown away by the sound blasting ability of the very loud Fusou Ayame and her trucks. Ayame as well, is influenced by Agitate Halation, and sees Bunny Girl as a threat to Fremea. Bunny Girls slices down one of her large trucks, and the both of them attack. As the queer battle continues, Touma is bewildered by the spectacle. As he questions the strange effects of the Agitate Halation on people, a cellphone lands next to him containing information regarding Fremea. Although Touma is suspicious of its convenient arrival, he eventually uses the information on the cellphone to track Fremea.

Fighting in the alleys
Umidori arrives at School District 13 near Fremea's dorm having discovered that Hisako has framed her as she had discovered that the case she was supposed to deliver was devoid of any content. She is unperturbed by this, swearing to find people who are antagonistic against her in order for her to have a reason to pay Hisako back. Suddenly however, she heard footsteps in the darkness. Believing it to be an assassin, Umidori prepares herself, but much to her surprise it is simply Fremea asking for the whereabouts of Shiage. Despite being part of Freshmen, it was only Silvercross Alpha that Fremea had seen, as such, this would be the first time.

Rensa #28 vs. Kuroyoru Umidori
Their relief however, is shattered by the arrival of a sound coming from deeper in the alley, sounding like several metal pieces grinding together. Hearing this, Umidori prepares herself against Hisako's assassin, while Fremea cowers in fear. Appearing before her is Rensa, Hisako's assistant. She tells Umidori that she will collect the "money" later, and had her sights upon Fremea, and spoke of capturing her as the primary objective. Despite having no obligation to protect Fremea, Umidori spoke to Rensa, and says her jests are terrible, and that she should've not underestimated Freshmen, as she told Rensa that she assumed that trust was more important to Umidori than money. Umidori blankly tells her that she will kill her, but Rensa simply smiles and says that the situation is progressing well. Rensa states that the artificial protection target (Fremea) has enough control over her enemy to create a dark hero (Umidori). Umidori doesn't understand, but Rensa reveals to her that the Freshmen were created only to input fear, anger, and joy into Fremea Seivelun's mind, something designed to fail, and have played their role perfectly. Umidori is not amused by her revelation and finally charged towards her, drawing her eyes to her right hand in order to hide the fact that she will pierce her with a nitrogen spear using the left. Umidori moved to strike her down and behead her, but her nitrogen spear was extinguished at an instant, much to her shock. Rensa had used her own nitrogen spear. Rensa continues to speak of Umidori's position as a dark hero, and speaks of plans of using her against a normal hero. Angered, Umidori moved to strike again and dodged Rensa's strike, and as she lost her balance, Umidori tried to attack her with both of her palms. Before she can do so however, Rensa reveals that she is a cyborg, and a plate from her back reveals a queer contraption resembling a large mechanical flower growing out of her. A sense of foreboding pervades Umidori, as metallic noises ring out and the flower is inserted back into Rensa. And then, Umidori continues with her two palmed attack, but they are immediately burst and cause a large explosion as it touched Rensa. It was the power of Accelerator, that allowed her to it, and Umidori accurately analyzed that it was beyond something like the Five OVER series. Once again, the flower appears from her back, and as if preparing new ammunition, strange noises began to emanate from inside her. Umidori could only watch after being knocked down as Rensa turned her back on her and pure white wings began sprouting from her back. It was the power of Dark Matter, and Umidori assumed that the flower rearranged Rensa's interior. Predicting that she might have more than just two and the apparent danger before her, Umidori upped the output of her spears and swung her arms around like they were boosters and then jumped straight into the air, making her way up to the roof. Once again she hears that queer metallic noise, and Rensa told her that she was created to have the power needed to defeat all seven Level 5s on her own, and mocks her attempts at escape. Then, Umidori heard the clink of a coin, and she knew that she would fire Railgun. Umidori is then caught in the destruction.

Rensa #28 vs. Kuroyoru Umidori and Hamazura Shiage
After Kinuhata Saiai forced Shiage to find Fremea in order for her to deal with Hisako and her army of man-eating roaches. Umidori apparently continued to battle against Rensa in the rooftop until she is thrown down to the ground, where Shiage comes upon her. As Shiage tries to go towards her, Rensa appears before him. She refers to Shiage as a low level problem, and that it would be difficult to convince him that Umidori is her enemy. She concludes that Shiage is expendable to the experiment, and prepares to attack him. Umidori, unable to speak, hastily writes down that Rensa is a cyborg, a more advanced one. Suddenly, Rensa's back opens up and a large mechanical flower opens up from it, performs some sort of calculation, and then folds back within her again. She then fires a nitrogen spear, and Shiage immediately concludes that she can copy esper powers, and that she can construct output points similar to Umidori using her mechanical arms. However, that is not the only thing she can do, as she boasts that she can freely switch through all Level 5's powers other than the 7th ranked, and any esper within 200 meters. Rensa relates on how she will kill him to fix the error and then continue as planned to have Umidori framed for killing Fremea. After some pondering, Shiage is still confused on why the assassins would go out of their way to try to kill Fremea in such a massive scale and frame it on Umidori. Moreover, he ponders on why she hasn't killed the both of them yet, and concludes that Rensa wants them to run away in order for them to draw out Fremea for her. Seeing the cyborg, Shiage assumes that Rensa has to hold back in order for her not to accidentally kill them. Whispering to Umidori, Shiage says that he will charge at Rensa, making her falter and block her vision. Shiage tells Umidori that she needs to stab a spear from behind him, even if she needs to stab it through his body so long it won't kill him. Shiage's plan is under the assumption that she will not use Accelerator's redirection for them to stay alive and escape.

With that, Shiage begins charging towards her. However, though Umidori is impressed by Shiage's bravery, she realizes the absurdity of the plan working under their circumstances, and has come to conclude that Shiage will be abandoning her in order for them to destroy each other. Wanting none of that, she determines that she will kill Rensa but not for Shiage. She does nothing as Shiage charges towards Rensa who prepares to use her arsenal of powers. By the time she realized the truth, it was too late. Shiage is struck down by hundreds of wings of Dark Matter, though not killing him as Rensa has intended. There, Umidori screams due to her feelings. Seeing as Shiage is injured, he cannot lead Rensa to Fremea, therefore, she concludes that she will kill him and use another acquaintance to find Fremea Seivelun instead. While on the ground, Shiage apologizes for not working harder in gaining her trust, making Umidori feel guilty. As Rensa prepares for the killing blow, Shiage tells Umidori to abandon him, as Rensa needs her alive to frame her for Fremea's killing. He suggests asking help from ITEM before Rensa get the chance to use them to find Fremea. But Umidori can only drown in her own guilt, blaming herself for the doom Shiage will have to pay in her stead. Suddenly, Kamijou Touma finally arrives and prevents her from killing him.

Rensa #28 vs. Kamijou Touma
Due to the cellphone he found, Touma gets near Fremea's dormitory, but then comes upon Rensa #28, Hisako's cyborg assistant, who defeated both Kuroyoru Umidori and Hamazura Shiage. As she prepares for her killing blow on Shiage, Touma finally arrives and prevents her from killing him. Thinking Touma would be easy, Rensa #28 did not turn around, and instead once again called up her mechanical power in order to use Kakine's Dark Matter. Her Dark Matter wings tried to pierce Touma, but he simply negates this. Realizing this, she tries to turn around but Touma simply kicks her down before she can do so. There, Shiage warns Touma that it can use multiple abilities and even several of the Level 5s abilities, shocking Touma. Rensa then turns around and calls upon a Meltdowner beam, though Touma simply crouches out of the way. Rensa #28 becomes frustrated at the events unfolding, calling Touma a mid-level problem. Then, Touma asks if she is the one that made Tsuchimikado Motoharu go through such lengths (effect of Agitate Halation), and the one who was targeting Tsuchimikado Maika. Rensa says that Motoharu attacked first and states that it is only fair to pay Motoharu 100-fold for it, angering Touma. Rensa tries to use Mikoto's ability on him, but he simply negates it again, shocking Rensa, and declares that she will now kill Touma to correct the course of the plan. Rensa then uses Accelerator's power to call up 120 m/s winds, but Touma is able to reach her before she can attack him with it and gets her face punched for her trouble, though she blocked it, stopping her control of the winds. She then tries to use Railgun on Touma. As she picks up a coin using magnetism and tries to shoot her Railgun, Touma punches her hand to throw off her aim, missing him.

There, Touma mocks her for her poor copies of the Level 5's abilities, and tells her that due to the lag between switching her powers, he can read her timing. Touma headbutts her, and she staggers backwards near a dumpster, which she promptly peruses after calling her mechanical flower again in order to use Shokuhou Misaki's Mental Out ability. Finding a remote to focus her ability, Touma immediately kicks it away from her. There, he continues to mock her, stating that she may have the abilities of a Level 5, but she isn't a Level 5 herself. Rensa calls upon Meltdowner again, evading it and in response punches her dead center in her face. However, Touma immediately notices how clean his attack is and realizes that it a trap. Using her mechanical body, she raises Touma up with a single hand by his neck. She declares on how he was only supposed to defeat Tsuchimikado Motoharu, and expresses her confusion on how he is still interfering in the Agitate Halation Project despite completing that goal, but tells him will end now. Touma laughs on how she doesn't get it, that despite controlling people like in a game of billiards, they don’t need some giant project as all it takes is someone saying "help," and he and other people will act. Rensa #28 coldly tells her that his words are meaningless and will put no more effort in analyzing them. There, she tells him that he will reverse his bloodflow using Accelerator's ability.

However, she hesitates for a moment after checking Touma's profile in the Bank, believing that he has a rare power, and that she will not be able to use it now as Touma will now be dead. Despite her personal opinion, Rensa #28 decides to kill Touma with Accelerator's ability. However, she then notices Umidori attempting to attack again. Seeing this as an opportunity to use Touma's power, she calls upon her mechanical flower again to knit her insides. Surprisingly, Imagine Breaker flowed into her right hand before it was overwhelmed by it, making her arm swell like a balloon, and giving errors to her cyborg body. A fatal encounter in her operation is detected without Rensa being able to determine why the Imagine Breaker caused an error in her. Her right arm explodes and she shuts down.

Interlude
After Rensa's defeat, Touma approaches the two of them to check on their condition. Shiage states that he is not going to die right away, but tells him that he'll be a burden. He says that he and Umidori will hide, and Kinuhata can take care of herself. However, he states that the real problem would be Fremea. Shiage hands his phone to Touma, where he can follow the GPS signal of Fremea's security buzzer with it. Touma understands, but tells Shiage that it isn't him that Fremea is waiting for, just the replacement. Touma tells Shiage not to die while leaving him with her. And Shiage agrees with a handshake. Shiage later takes Umidori to a certain hospital to get treated, and gives information to Mugino Shizuri regarding Fremea.

A call to heroes
After running away for quite a while, Fremea is tired and rests for a while. She laments on how Shiage is once again involved because her, and a strange feeling pervades her, thinking that all the things that is happening because of her. Fed up with all that is happening, and with no response from Beetle 05 (as Rensa was just recently defeated), Fremea shouts in desperation for someone to help her. Unbeknownst to her, it causes a chain reaction of "heroes" to seek her out despite not hearing her actually shouting due to her Agitate Halation and he manipulations of the Shading Computer on the AIM diffusion fields of the City. Now truly, chaos begins erupting all around Academy City as the "heroes" begin answering her call.

The final phase of the Agitate Halation Project
With her body safely disposed of, Yakumi Hisako's consciousness is uploaded into the AIM diffusion fields of the city via the Shading Computer and can now be called as an AIM thought being. Meanwhile, Touma, Shiage, and Umidori later leave Rensa alone in the back alley, not knowing what to do with her. Rensa later reboots and is visited by Yakumi Hisako. Hisako tells her to stop being naked, and though Rensa suggests that her current look would make her more intimidating, she is forced to do so. After Rensa changed her skin to look like a cloth, Rensa tries to find where Hisako is talking to her but could not find her. Hisako tells her there is nothing wrong with any of her sensory organs as there is no way anyone can see her now in her current form. Hisako tells her on how she has disposed her body safely, and that her consciousness has been transferred to the shading computer that uses the AIM diffusion fields as a medium, becoming an AIM thought being. This surprises even Rensa, believing that the project was meant to destroy the heroes of Academy City. Hisako tells her that it was all just a ruse to hide it from the Board of Directors, and that she has now stepped into the realm of Kazakiri Hyouka and DRAGON (Aiwass), and that she should be able to make significant advances in her research. Hearing this, Rensa is glad and asks if she should fall back now that she has achieved her objective. Hisako however, tells that she wants to go beyond the AIM diffusion fields of the city that is used by Shading Computer, and dreams of using a different medium (a fluid) such as the winds or seas of the world, touching infinity so to speak. Rensa asks if it can really be applied to the fluids like air or water, as the reason why AIM diffusion fields was chosen as the Shading Computer's medium as it can control the students who influence each other through the AIM diffusion fields. Hisako states that it can, as humans can be influenced by the concentration of oxygen in their blood and slight adjustments in atmospheric pressure. She says that she can simply work herself into the middle of that. Rensa asks what she requires in order to shift into another medium, and Hisako responds that she needs to kill Fremea Seivelun in order to free her from the AIM diffusion fields of Academy City. Then, a vehicle arrives containing her spare parts, and asks what she has in her disposal. Hisako tells her that she can use anything but the roaches, as their guidance substance was taken they were probably gathered in once place and destroyed. Here, Rensa #28 apparently decides to switch with Rensa #29 before she begins the final phase of the plan in the Learning Core.

With Rensa #29 as the operator, she set out to execute the plan according to Hisako's will. he first takes control of Kakine Teitoku, and forces him to convice Fremea in entering Learning Core, specifically the Lightning Rod building. Under Yakumi Hisako's instructions, Rensa once again takes control of the body Kakine, the beetle, and have him instruct Fremea to go to the Learning Core, and so she can easily find her by following his signal (as they have already taken control of his Dark Matter). Here, the controlled Kakine tells Fremea to get rid of the security buzzer that allows Shiage to track her using GPS. Although Fremea hesitates, the controlled beetle implores her and threatens Fremea that Shiage will get hurt if she is hurt through something that he gave him. Despite the Kakine trying his best to take back control of his body and managing to say "Stop," Rensa manages to convince Fremea otherwise, crushing the security buzzer under her foot, his struggles all in vain. With this the controlled beetle urges Fremea further into Learning Core and into the Lightning Rod, a building where Rensa would promptly kill her and fulfill Hisako's plans. Fremea meets the Paper Bag Bunny Girl, one of the first "heroes" who came to "save" her, but gets away before she can get to her. She later hides in a dinosaur skeleton in the building.

Rensa #29 had somehow set-up some bombs in the facility, intending to kill Fremea once and for all and free Hisako from Academy City's AIM diffusion fields. Her mission was merely to observe what would happen after Fremea dies, and taking out the way in which to track her would ensure that no one could interfere. She later takes a helicopter to get Learning Core.

Riot at the Learning Core
As 7,500 heroes gather from all around Academy City to answer Fremea's plight, Touma continues to track her using the phone Shiage gave to him, and discovers that she is heading to Learning Core. The signal is suddenly cut-off and Touma is forced to head to the place where she would most likely go to.

Touma reaches the Learning Core and there has an inexplicable feeling similar to that during World War III. Touma finds that the heroes have already broken into the facility and fires have already sprung out. Searching for Fremea is his number one priority, fearing that the self-proclaimed "heroes" may inadvertently harm her wanting to save her in their own way. Touma goes to the first-aid station and guard station but finds no one there, as they most likely hid away from the rioting of the heroes. He found numerous monitors in the guard station, but he is unable to call up past footage. After checking four or five similar places, he finally found someone, a zookeeper inside a square building labeled "food storage". Although the man was initially suspicious of Touma, he calms him down. After showing how he has no intention of harming him and telling him on how he got in, Touma tells the man how to get out, but the man doesn't want to. Touma says that the heroes are being completely indiscriminate, and that may start searching properly. The man asks what Touma is doing in the building, to which he says he is looking for an eight year old girl named Fremea Seivelun before the others. The man, knowing this situation is similar to things happening in nature where a mother accidentally kills an offspring in attempt to protect it, agrees with Touma's assessment. Touma asks him where the security guards in order for him to access camera footage. The man, though not knowing where the security guards are, says that there is a way to connect to the camera network's wireless LAN. The man shows his connected phone to Touma, and asks that it might take long as there are a lot of cameras. Touma is confident however, and asks where the alarm went off first, to which he answers is in the Lightning Rod building, the one with the toughest security, the safest place to be. Touma thanks the man, and tries to go but the man says that Fremea can last in the Lightning Rod all night, and that Touma might get attacked. Touma however counters that if they can figure it out, so can the others, moreover, there are people with cutting-edge technology and power esper abilities, that throws into doubt that the building could last all night. Touma leaves, and the man says that he should be careful.

The gathering of the Seven Level 5s of Academy City
As he approached the Lightning Rod, the number of people grew, likely already knowing where Fremea is. Pondering for a moment, Touma believes that the underground power lines could be used as passageways due to them needing to be big enough for people to enter for maintenance purposes, and there has to be secret routes connecting the different facilities. As he Touma looks around for manholes to enter the underground passageways, he saw one manhole though he is too far way to check if it led to the power network. As he approached it, he met a leotard wearing girl using a long ribbon that causes sparks to attack him. Touma grabs the ribbon but felt no resistance from her, who apparently lets it go to take out several batons and clubs that caused sparks as well. Before she could throw or swing around those weapons, Touma jabbed his foot forward as hard as he could. He jammed his heel into the girl’s solar plexus and used his entire body weight to knock her unconscious. There was no time to relax however, as the heroes were slowly gathering and opening the manhole while they were watching would lead them to Fremea. He had to lose them before he could try the underground power network.

While trying to lose them, several heroes began appearing and tries to attack him. Touma ran and tried to take out as many as he could by performing a lariat as he passed by, but it was not enough. Far too many of them had noticed him, and he was running out of places to run. Then, Fusou Ayame once again returns and uses her powers and takes down a large crowd surrounding Touma, which he negated with his Imagine Breaker before it could hit him. Touma has no time with dealing with a lunatic who attacks Touma with her shockwave, and at the same time, an esper firing flames from his palm began barging in. However, Touma then sees Ayame's sound wave emitting trucks are then taken down by Mugino Shizuri's Meltdowner beam. She alongside Takitsubo Rikou and Kinuhata Saiai arrive to search for Fremea using the information gathered from Shiage, seemingly unaware of Touma, though he recognizes that she is the real Level 5 who uses the Meltdowner after his battle with Rensa. Ayame is stunned by this, and tries to make another loud announcement referring to the riot as a "live performance" but is quickly shutted up by Mugino. It is unknown if she was taken down by Mugino or by the collateral damage by Sogiita Gunha who tried to extinguish burning trees using his powers, before warning the "heroes" to flee if they didn't want to get hurt as his way of saving lives wasn't something they could withstand without any guts.

A man calling himself as Aihana Etsu, is referred by the other heroes as "Academy City’s #6" and "One of the seven Level 5s", but he tells them that those epithets are not his name and then proceeds to introduce himself to them. He effortlessly defeats people without using any powers, only using punches. This causes many of them to flee and pursue another target. While watching this battle from the side, Shokuhou Misaki comments that he only used his acting skills to play the role of the #6, and seeing that he is a fake Level 5, she has no connection with him. As such, she goes on with her own business.

Meanwhile, Shokuhou Misaki herself arrives in Learning Core in pursuit of Kamijou Touma, having been left out in the dark, Mikoto apparently followed her for the same purpose. They later find themselves in the midst of the "heroes" rioting in Learning Core due to the effects of Agitate Halation. Misaki takes control over some of the heroes and diverts them to Mikoto, who then proceeds to take them down, much to her annoyance. Misaki tells her that Mikoto has no reason to be there unlike her because she was abandoned before she could see the incident with Touma through its end. Mikoto points out that it is her reason for being here as well. Hearing this, Misaki challenges Mikoto that whoever gets to him first gets to do whatever they want, leading to Mikoto being confused about what she means by "whatever they want". Later, Mikoto experiences firsthand the resourcefulness of heroes. She tells Misaki to help as she can use her power to stop them without making a scratch at them, but Misaki ignores her. Misaki is later nearly overwhelmed by an attack by both a leopard and the heroes. She asks Mikoto to help her despite Misaki ignoring Mikoto's complaints just a few moments ago. Mikoto tells her that she will but only after the leopard has eaten her "extra fat" in the chest area.

As the Level 5s of Academy City gather around the Learning Core, the strongest one finally arrives, Accelerator. As he lands a group of 1000 people were blown away in every direction, knocking them out. He glanced around and spotted Touma. Approaching them, Accelerator asks if he knows what he needs to do, to which Touma confirms. Accelerator tells Touma to go as he is not the protagonist here. Seeing as Accelerator is taking care of the heroes that would attempt to follow him into the underground passageways, he opens a manhole, and begins to climb down. He tells Accelerator the gist of the Agitate Halation Project and warns him to careful, though Accelerator responds him with a rhetoric question: "Who do you think you're talking to?"

As Touma disappears down below ground, the other heroes notice him and began approaching the manhole, believing that it would lead them to Fremea Seivelun. Seeing this, Accelerator decides to try and test their mettle if they are truly worthy of the name of hero.

Fight in the museum
Underground, Touma quickly made it into the basement of the Lightning Rod and meets guards there. Touma calms them down, and asks them if a blond girl of about eight entered the building. One of them responds, saying that an alarm was tripped. The woman guard panics, worried that Touma somehow finding them may have learned about the emergency evacuation routes. Touma says that if they understand, then they should find some way to deal wih it, as he can get in, so can they. The two guards began piling the furniture at the entrance, while Touma checks the map, discovering that Fremea may only be able to move through the museum portion due to Fremea not having a key and the building shuttered down because of the current emergency. As he leaves, Touma takes a set of keys from them and later uses it to open a door to the museum.

Touma calls out to Fremea, but she doesn't answer. Realizing his blunder, Touma uses Shiage's name to make her trust him, to which it works. Fremea replies, and Touma speedily goes to where she is, in a mouth of a dinosaur skeleton. Touma runs towards a stopped escalator to reach her level, and as he asks her about her current condition. Suddenly, a museum window shatters and a helicopter hovers from above it. There, jumping out of it and into the museum is Rensa #29. Touma once again confronts Rensa anew in the museum in the Lightning Rod, and notes the stark difference with Rensa #29 and the previous one. As they banter on, Rensa takes control of Kakine's beetle body once again and shows her deceit to Touma and Fremea, and speaking of its struggles to bring warning. Rensa warns of bombs that have filled the buildings and that there would no reason to fight him anymore for they have already won. Touma quickly tries to go towards Fremea to protect her from the explosion. However, as Rensa activates the switch, nothing occurred and no harm was done upon the building or its inhabitants that might derive from a violent explosion. Rensa #29 is just as surprised as Touma and Fremea, not knowing how this come to pass. Suddenly, the helicopter outside in which Rensa used to come to Learning Core was destroyed by a collision with the arrival of another body of Kakine Teitoku.

Rensa #29 vs. Kamijou Touma and Kakine Teitoku
Rensa believing that she had control over his body is surprised by his arrival. Kakine points out that primary consciousness means nothing with Dark Matter, as so as the little Rhinoceros beetle keychain still trembles trying to regain control over Rensa as Kakine Teitoku, so too is the great white Rhinoceros beetle that appears before her. He speaks that he can split asunder and join together again into single consciousness, and with this advantage, he did split himself into 50 different insect-sized versions of himself when he noticed that Fremea was being led to the Learning Core, and there, independently came there to search for any danger, with this, the bombs that Rensa had set up which they have cut down. There, Kakine Teitoku, in a form of large Rhinoceros beetle, tell her not to underestimate a Level 5. Kakine falls down to face her, and breaks free from his shell and appeared before them with fair wings and a white form. Seeing this, Touma stands up once again to do battle against Rensa. The two boys stood on either side of Rensa. She just smirks at their appearance, apparently believing that Hisako has taken into account this unforseen event. With this, she takes out the giant mechanical flower from her back, and rearranged the machinery within her. Thus, four wings made of whirling wind appeared from her back, showing off her using the power of Accelerator. Here, this version of Rensa shows that her battle style is much more different than the previous one.

Kakine and Rensa met in battle, clashing with their wings in supersonic speeds, and their strike made the museum tremble. Despite the power of Accelerator against him, Kakine must've taken measures with his Dark Matter as he did not hesitate his attack at Rensa. However, she keeps on laughing throughout all this, once again pointing out the difference between her and the previous Rensa, and mocks the teamwork between Kakine and Touma. Despite the mockings and the obvious difference of power and speed, Touma presses forward, knowing that she would be wary of his right hand. And thus she did, her speed changed slightly and Kakine, seeing this change, tried to attack her as if trying to push her towards Touma. She forcefully took the attack as if sacrificing one of her arms, trapping Kakine. She grabs one of his wings and used the power of Accelerator to twist it unnaturally and launch it in an irregular and difficult to predict trajectory towards Touma. And he was slammed down by Kakine's power, falling near Fremea. Rensa began focusing her attention towards Touma, but Kakine cut in between them.

Thus, Kakine met once again in the heat of battle with Rensa wing to wing, where she taunted him ever of the doom that might befall on Touma and Fremea if he were not to properly meet her strikes. But Touma has yet to yield. He stands once more and demands Kakine to "Cut them loose!" and he understood his intentions. Kakine severed his wings from his main body as Touma charged forward, and swung his fist towards her from behind the wings floating in the air. She tried to protect her face, but Kakine made an opening and struck her belly with new Dark Matter wings he has formed. With a dull sound, Rensa is struck down. Kakine asks Touma if they have done it as Rensa lied unmoving in the rubble. Touma tells him that they need to get away from her just to be save advising to carry Fremea far away. However, Touma's counsel is interrupted as Rensa once again compares herself to the previous pilot of that cyborg body, telling Touma on how Accelerator had an ace up his sleeve that showed itself when his is truly cornered. Jet black wings come forth from Rensa, a thing that both Touma and Kakine had witnessed firsthand before. Kakine is then struck and sent flying by those black wings of hers, and his crash made the building tremble. With Kakine down, Rensa praises Accelerator's power and mocks his power for being the reason why he is merely the second-ranked Level 5.

Rensa #29 vs. Kamijou Touma
Touma is enraged, but Rensa merely swung her black wing towards him horizontally, and yet it did not hit him. Instead, he knocked it upwards. Confused, Rensa once again swung a black wing towards him, and the same such effect happened. At least five times she attacked but Touma would not fall against her wings. She laughs again, surprised that Touma is able to contend against her despite knocking down Kakine. Touma doesn't answer her straight. She asks again if the increased danger added to his effectiveness in battle, or that if he has an easier time reading situations when it's merely one against one, or that he has trouble in fights involving multiple people. But Touma once again does not answer her straight, to which she responds that she can do something about it. Rensa swung once again towards him, and if not for Kakine's timely usage of all his strength to knock Touma out of the way, then it would be the end his fight against her. Fremea screams, and Touma saw that Kakine had been slammed against the ground in his place.

Rensa #29 has sealed away Touma's precognition, through freezing her expressions, restricting the information Touma can take in and giving Rensa an expressionless look and emotionless voice. Rensa mocks Touma and states that there is no way he can save everyone now. Rensa brings out a tube containting the hypothalamus of Rensa #28, and tells him that she, Rensa #28, and others, are like the batteries for Rensa, the operators of a single cyborg body. She tells Touma on how expensive the cyborg body is, how they are used for it, and on what they are used for after they are unable to operate Rensa. Touma asks Rensa #29 if someone told her to do this, to which she says that he should not think of her as a poor victim. She states that if she didn't choose her current path, she would definitely meet a worse fate, as such volunteered to become an operator for Rensa. She then says that it is understandable for Touma to not understand as he lived in a happy ignorant life away from the darkness, and says people who have actually been soaked in the darkness can't save anyone even if they win. Rensa, despite not knowing all the things that Touma has been through that includes having his limbs severed and his body injured several times, mocks on how Touma must've had it easy. Rensa says that Touma can't win this time, despite being able to save people, as their paths are just too different from each other. Rensa states the pillar of her character, stating that Touma cannot save everyone here and the ending where no one is sacrificed as the Agitate Halation Project had sacrificed many people before it even began. Touma is silent for a while, but then replies, as someone who knows exactly the feeling of not being able to save everyone. He rejects the very thought of even giving up of saving everyone even if people have already been sacrificed. He tells Rensa that if she stops trying just because she couldn't save someone then she'll lose any small possibilities that may remain. Touma acknowledges that there is no perfect hero, but if they don't all bring together what little power they have, they can never protect anyone. Rensa points out that Touma is contradicting himself, but he doesn't care, stating that it is for him to deal with. He says that he only needs to save people, and he will deal with any lies, contradictions, and mistakes himself, as he has done many times before, saying that he is not saving people to check whether he chose the right answer. Rensa laughs, saying that it was her attempt on saving him, but doesn't mind if he keeps going. There, she drew her black wings closer to Touma.

End of the Agitate Halation Project
"This time, I will be the one to protect everyone!!"

- Fremea Seivelun

As Touma continues to do battle with Rensa #29 Fremea begins to realize that the reason everything is happening, from Shiage saving her from Freshmen, to several people gathering to protect Fräulein Kreutune, and to the gathering of "heroes" now is because of her doing, lamenting on how people are getting hurt because of her. Kakine says that Fremea shouldn't worry about him coming to help for he only did it because he wanted to, as well as Touma. Fremea wipes her tears away, and looks upon the battle. Although she is scared of being harmed, she however determines that people getting harmed in her place is more terrible. And there, Fremea Seivelun determines that she will not be holding out for a hero anymore, and will now protect everyone.

Meanwhile, Yakumi Hisako, the incorporeal AIM thought being, is een laughing on how she would not be bound in Academy City any longer with the death of Fremea Seivelun. However, as she pleads for Rensa to kill Fremea already, she discovers that Fremea is looking at her directly in the eye despite being incorporeal of form. Hisako tries to deny her feelings of impending failure and continues to believe that she will succeed. And there, Fremea says that she will not hope for a hero appearing anymore. Hisako is befuddled of this, as Fremea, the pillar supporting the entire Agitate Halation Project, might cause something different if she becomes something other than a protection target. Finally, Fremea says that she will protect everyone, with that the world around Yakumi Hisako breaks apart, and Fremea Seivelun and Yakumi Hisako comes face to face. Seeing her, Hisako says that neitehr have any direct power, and that Fremea's death and her own escape from the city is inevitable. However, Fremea says that it is not true, for even though they are incredibly small, almost entirely useless, and even call the likes of hers Level 0, their power is not zero, there is still something they can do. With that, Hisako suddenly gains a body, despite being made of AIM, despite her body being consumed earlier, it was as if Fremea Seivelun, the core of the Agitate Halation Project, took control of the Shading Computer and, in essence, the entirety AIM diffusion fields of the City which it used as a medium. Hisako realized too late that even the weakest Level 0 can influence Shading Computer, all she needed was to realize it and Hisako gave her that realization by soaking her too deeply in Agitate Halation.

Suddenly, Hisako recalls of things that she has never done nor spoken, her being kind to a child and praising humanity. Trying to deny this change overwriting of herself by Fremea using the AIM diffusion fields, Hisako begins fearing for her end. She shouts at her to wait, and tries to reason with Fremea on how grand her goal is and that she merely doesn't understand. Fremea however, tells her that she doesn't need to understand and has no interest in her project, simply wanting to have her, Hamazura's, Beetle 05's, and everyone else's smiles back.

Hisako is later ejected by Fremea and absorbed by Rensa's machinery. Her black wings disappear, and she immediately begins to swell due to tremendous and strange power that entered her, just like when Rensa #28 tried absorbing Imagine Breaker. As two voices come out of her body, Kakine Teitoku, still lying on the floor, slowly regained his human form told Touma to end the fight. And thus hearing it, Touma clenched right fist and walked towards her. Rensa #29 laughs, saying that Touma's ideals are full of contradictions and that there is nothing right about them. Touma asks Rensa #29 what she wants him to do, to which she says that this is what she wanted, as Hisako is her greatest savior for turning her into what she is now. She tells Touma that she will never hand her over to him as it is one of the few things in this world that she would rather have herself killed than do. She tells to Touma the lamentable reality of not everyone can be saved, and states that Hisako was the one who took her from that difficult situation where someone had to be sacrificed, and tells Touma that the other Rensas are the same, having their own reasons to obey Yakumi Hisako absolutely. Rensa says that she will not let someone like Touma, who showed up much too late to take her away from them, their greatest hero in the world. Touma understands the fact that he cannot save every single person in the world, and that there would be people who would save others but with a very different method to his. As Rensa's body continued to swell and being unable to speak properly, Touma asks Rensa why she didn't ask Hisako earlier before she became an AIM thought being, or before that. He asks him what would happen if she had done everything she could until a hero could arrive, fighting to save Hisako until the end. As her body begins to crack, Rensa denies that she can do something like that as she is not someone who can play the role of hero. But Touma says that she is already doing a wonderful job right now. Rensa still denies this, saying that she will never be a clichéd hero like her as she is a simple tool that is being used to repay her debt to Hisako.

But Touma does not listen, and calls her a hero. Touma says that he can no longer do anything but destroy as his hand can only destroy illusions, he tells Rensa that it is her that should make it in time. Promptly, Rensa tries to deny this very fact, and immediately after, white wings rise up from her back, the ultimate power of Accelerator. Unperturbed, Touma advanced towards her, knowing full well that he could kill Hisako just so to save Rensa. As Touma comes closer, Rensa walked unsteadily forward with those pure white wings still growing from her back. As their gazes meet, Touma says that she cannot stop him, for he will save her. Rensa tells him to stop as he will be saving the wrong person. And thus they clashed. Rensa used her cyborg body to charge up to Kamijou at supersonic speeds. She swung the white wings on her back to the right and left simultaneously. However, despite her speed and sealing his precognition, Touma predicted how she will attack, and arranged for how he will act before Rensa acted. Touma crouches, preparing to attack. A slight trembling returns despite her lack of expressions, and here she realizes that this is the end. Touma clenches his fist, and moves his upper body out of the way of the charging wings. With the use of his right fist, Touma strikes Rensa at the center of her face, believing that she can find a way to save Hisako herself from him. At that moment, a surprised look on Rensa's cyborg face appears, and there, she catapults Yakumi Hisako into a back alley in School District 13 before Touma's right hand can completely destroy her.

Punishment of Yakumi Hisako
Hisako's AIM thought body has been destroyed by Touma's Imagine Breaker, though she prepared insurance from it using the scent emitted by the swarm of man-eating cockroaches, transferring the medium of Shading Computer to it. She is later catapulted in a dirty back alley in School District 13 being a shallow form of her former self, becoming an information life form forced to use the scent of the cockroaches that ate her body to continue to exist. Although she laments on how it is difficult for her now as the cockroaches have nearly been all eliminated, she is still quite optimistic of her fate, believing that she can still succeed no matter how many times it takes. She decides to restart the Agitate Halation Project, as she believes that her enemies have let their guard down now that they've won. Suddenly, Fräulein Kreutune appears before her, much to Hisako's surprise. She summons the man-eating roaches to attack her but has not a single effect on her. Here, Hisako felt the fear of being a prey to her natural predator as she draw closer to her. She tries to convince herself that she will not be affected by any attack from her as she has no body. However, all this comes tumbling down as Fräulein somehow manages to bite and consume her. Feeling that she is going to die, Hisako felt an odd peace, and seemingly feels as great to her as when she tried to build up her existence now that her body is disappearing. But Fräulein will not give her that satisfaction. She spares Hisako into the tiniest piece of information of her existence to survive, and tells Hisako that it is her punishment for hurting her friend, forcing her to live in a situation where she cannot die or achieve her ambitions. Finally, Fräulein with cold eyes, says that she will eat her completely if she manages to truly manage to see herself properly, only after a long, long time.

Revelation of the Kiharas
After the Agitate Halation Project's failure, Kihara Yuiitsu and Kihara Noukan apparently influenced the "heroes" to stop rioting after the defeat of Rensa and Yakumi Hisako. She is seen with Kihara Noukan walking in a park in School District 13 the morning after the incident. She commends Hisako for being a nice patron to her despite the failure of the project, to which Noukan replies that she may have been playing around too much. Noukan mentions on how Yuiitsu managed to implant her intellectual curiosity with Hisako but not being able to make Hisako to understand how a Kihara thinks. Yuiitsu laughs, recalling on how Hisako wondered on how they got along so well, and commended her for being useful to her research. Noukan however states that she went too far, but Yuiitsu says that she has learned her lesson.

Noukan then tells Yuiitsu of the top 3 likely candidates to become board of directors as insurance for her plans. But Yuiitsu simply vetoes it, saying that it isn't Kihara-like, prompting Noukan to ask of her plans. Yuiitsu then mentions the use of the Shadow Ruler plan, apparently an organization, to which Noukan throws doubts at such a covenience that she can use. Yuiitsu states that they will take action if they make them think there is a reason to take action, pointing out Academy City, the city of science, and its strange relationship with jinxes and urban legends. She says that she can manipulate a bit of information to make certain facts seem true, which will prompt them to action in lines with her schemes. She then asks Noukan to start deceiving important people. Hearing this, Noukan acquiesces to her plans, stating that he can give two or three people she could use in her plan, rich social climbers that are dumb enough to be manipulated by her. Hearing this Yuiitsu thanks to him as always.

With the Agitate Halation dead, Yuiitsu then asks what they should do about it. Noukan states he has no particular interest in but tells her that it might not be a failure. Noukan states that the Level 5s of Academy City gathered in one place despite Hisako's wishes, as well as Touma's appearance of his own free will despite the Imagine Breaker negating any influence from Agitate Halation. He tells Yuiitsu that even though the experiment ended in failure, perhaps Agitate Halation was simply too much for her to handle, and that there may still be something of interest. Yuiitsu agrees with his analysis, to which Noukan states that she never shows any motivation if he is not the one keeping score for her.

Execution of Tsuchimikado Motoharu
Tsuchimikado Motoharu apparently having been successfully treated goes to a certain bridge in Academy City, there he is met by Kumokawa Seria who had her eye replaced, under orders to execute him for his actions. There on a bridge, he greets her if her eye is okay, to which she states that it has been eight hours, as such she doesn't feel strange in the eye anymore. With that done, Seria asks him if he is ready, and he confirms it. She takes a large handgun and fires paint rounds on him containing his blood. The force knocked him out into the river. And though, he is still alive, convincing the dark side is all it takes that would allow him not to be attacked again by them as they already have given the sign that they were convinced. It was the etiquette in the dark side of Academy City.

On the fate of the Rensa operators
Touma later visits Hisako's hospital and take every Rensa hypothalami stored there before proceeding to a certain hospital. Kamijou Touma meets up with Shiage and the wheelchair-bound Umidori, all three in bandages. Touma asks for Shiage and Umidori's condition as they were the worst off. Shiage states that he will not be long there, but Umidori's stay will take a while. Umidori states that it is not a problem, and shows off the movements of her arms, which is still somewhat awkward. Touma's gaze falls upon Umidori, and in a strangely odd voice, says that she will kill him if he says anything unnecessary. Shiage then asks how much Touma found out. There, Touma states that Rensa was completely destroyed, as such she won't come back to enact her revenge. Touma then says with a heavy heart that maybe the reason she was destroyed was because she lost control and not because of the Imagine Breaker. A silence pass by as Touma ponders on Rensa's fate and her sacrifice to save Hisako. Touma then tells of the involvement of Yakumi Hisako in the Agitate Halation Project and Fremea being in the center, but that is alone the limit of his knowledge and references the dangerous things that were found in the hospital Hisako works in. Umidori then asks if he is satisfied with that conclusion, stating that the truth will never come to light, as the truly dangerous things are still hidden within. Shiage asks if there are still people out there who will use Agitate Halation. Umidori says that it doesn't have to be anyone directly related to the project. Shiage then falls silent after hearing Umidori's words. Touma replies that he knows what the stakes are, and it is the reason why he retrieved all 40 hypothalami that is used for Rensa, impressing Shiage as Touma did not go straight to the hospital. Here, they saw the grim reminder that not everyone can be saved. Seeing them, Umidori asks if what Touma intends to with them. Touma replies that he will have them put into cold storage until the time technology has advanced enough to find a way for them to be truly saved. As Touma leaves, Shiage calls back to him, asking what he is going to do now. Touma replies that he will do the same thing as always: "No matter how many times I reach game over and no matter how many times I must pathetically hit continue, I will not stop moving forward."

Growth of Fremea Seivelun
Back in class the next day after her hectic night, Fremea Seivelun is approached by her classmate, Azumi, regarding the topic the class was in uproar about, Santa Claus. Specifically, she points out the topic of the black Santa Claus again. However, instead of being terrified, Fremea shows a growth in her character, saying to her not to worry as she will do something about it.

Effects and implications on future events
With Motoharu's "execution," it technically allows him to be free from the intrigue of the dark side of Academy City as he is "technically" dead to them due to their etiquette. It is unknown if this however applies to the magic side as well. As for Umidori, her guilt over getting Shiage injured because of her lack of trust towards him shows that she is capable of accepting that she is in the wrong regarding her etiquette around people who isn't as deep into the dark side of Academy as she is. It is most likely a set-up for further growth from her becoming more and more open to trusting others. Finally, Fremea shows the greatest growth of all. No longer wanting to become a burden to those she care for and other people due to her being trouble, Fremea represents the ongoing theme of "heroes" that is present in the novels. From a hapless child who believed she is powerless, to a girl determined to save those she care for with what power she has, this recurring pattern is present with all three protagonist, Touma, Accelerator, and Shiage, who initially did not believe they were better than they truly are before a person they cared for forced to take a better look upon themselves.

As for the Level 5s, the countermeasure against them, such as Rensa, shows an obvious setup that they will once again gather. Moreover, the appearance of a cyborg that is touted to be able to defeat all Level 5s continues the theme established in the first Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index novel, regarding a struggle for superiority between machines and men.

With regards with its connection to the previous arc with GREMLIN, it shows Touma's indominatable will to keep on saving people regardless of the reality is facing him, showing on how Thor's interactions with him from the previous arc actually paid off.

Concurrent events
During Motoharu's rampage, Yomikawa Aiho is called into School District 23 as her services are needed there despite her jurisdiction is only in School District 7, where she is to capture Dr. Matsusada alive after he tries to illegally leave the city due to the effects of the Agitate Halation Project. She partners up with Stephanie Gorgeouspalace who was just released prison. Aiho is mostly spends time on the sidelines as Stephanie barges in the room where Matsusada is hiding with her gatling guns outfitted on Security robots, and assuring her that she will not kill him. After cornering him, Matsusada says that they do not understand what's going on, and accuses them of being affected by Agitate Halation already. He tries to tell them of his fearful situation, but he apparently used the hibernation drug cp-191 on his person, making lose consciousness.

He is later take to ICU, while Aiho waits on him, she reads Matsusada's The Future of Next-Generation Processors using Viscosity and Density, just as the heroes around Academy City begins to hear Fremea's call.