Toaru Majutsu no Index SS: Necessarius Special Admission Test/Chapter 6

Synopsis
The assailant calls out to them for she does not know where they are in this dark field in the countryside. Knowing this, she warns that if they do not show themselves, or more specifically, if Freadia does not show herself, she will kill her hostages one by one. Itsuwa knows that she cannot see them, and ignored her demands. She crawls towards Freadia for she still had the curse imposed upon her. who is concerned that the assailant is looking at them, but Itsuwa says that she would not be shouting if she did. Itsuwa crawls towards a fallen container that have been sliced from the truck that once carried them. There, Itsuwa took away a knapsack from the Anglicans that containing a variety of tools likely used for ceremonies, though nothing to break the curse and she doubts Freadia will her from it. Using the telescope, Itsuwa sees that there are 80-100 hostages counting the Amakusas, Dusk Waiting to Awaken, and he Anglicans, sitting in a line along the road. Freadia says she doesn't see how a single person can monitor a hundred people, to which Itsuwa says it would do no good for them to scatter for the magician's reach is too great and that there are little cover, they will surely be cut down by her. After describing the magician's appearance to Freadia, they begin to analyze her magic. Itsuwa focused on the magician's scabbard. The woman had with her a combination lock affixed on her scabbard. Then the magician woman with the sword moved. Believing they were spotted, Itsuwa lied down low. However, much to her horror she discovers that the magician had lost her patience and has begun threatening hostages. She takes Tsushima and warns them again, much to Itsuwa's despair. With no way to save Tsushima, she swallows her terror and begins talking to Freadia.

Itsuwa argues with Freadia on the fate of the hostages, in which Itsuwa points on how they will not stand a chance in a straight fight and that their only hope is to determine what kind of spell the woman has and forced it to go out of control. Freadia states that they have no time to analyze the spell as the woman will start killing soon. However, as Freadia tried to stand, Itsuwa says that if they failed here they would not be able to save any of them. Itsuwa points out that the only way to save everyone was to analyze the magician's spell and that there were no reason for the magician to spare anyone if they go along with her demands. She warns her that if she tries to surrender to save the hostages then she will kill her herself. Freadia asks about the first hostage the woman brought out, leading to Itsuwa to say bitterly that there is now way to save her. With Itsuwa's pleadings Freadia finally agrees with a nod. Itsuwa uses the telescope to scope the magician's movements even if the magician begins her torture of Tsushima, while Freadia analyzes the cut of the sword the magician used. She then pulls out tools from within her clothes that are often used for jewelry appraisal, though she uses crystals for her spell it is only natural. While Freadia moves away to check on the cuts, Itsuwa is forced to watch the horrific torture of her friend Tsushima, all the while trying to find any information she can muster. Then she notices the dials on the woman's scabbard being moved by her, and then pulling out a blade that could not possibly fit in the scabbard. Then the magician begins stabbing Tsushima, much to Itsuwa's despair. The woman then spins the dials again and pulls out a axe out of her sword scabbard. There, Itsuwa understood that the properties of the blade change base on the dials, though she doesn't know from where the magic is based from. However, that information isn't enough for a counterattack, and Itsuwa can only watch in horror while the magician cuts down Tsushima's leg. Freadia returns later and states that the cut of the sword is related to jewels just like her specialty. Itsuwa asks about the dials, to which Freadia states that what matter is where the stone is located as its location would be directly linked to the blade's attack power. She says that the dials likely contain small stones arranged like a gear and that the numbers aren't what matter but by spinning the dials, the arrangement is changed and the stone with the wanted properties is created. The sword's properties, she says, would then change based on the changes to the stone. Itsuwa then asks of its format, as she panics, though Freadia could only say that it is of Western European origin on account of the magician's appearance, much to Itsuwa's dismay. Freadia however, answers that the fact that they don't have a single answer is an answer in and of itself, and then she smiles. She tells of legends swords and the jewels attached to it, on how if someone is injured by a certain sword then they can never be healed unless the wound is scraped by the jewel attached to the sword's hilt. She states that the sword that injures and the stone that heals form a set, as such, if Itsuwa remembers the combination of the dials that was used to cause injury, then can surely heal wounds if they have it strike the one who as injured by the sword again. Freadia says that since the sword's properties are based in the stone created by the dials then adding something extra in the cycle woud cause her to lose control of the spiritual item.

Meanwhile, seeing as Freadia, the girl's target, has not come out of the shadows, she opts to use another hostage in order for her (them) not to get used to screaming and become complacent. She then however notices a rustling upon the grass: Freadia has shown herself. This is not in Itsuwa's plans however, as she believed she could've used the blank parchment she found earlier to draw a Mandala, scatter it to the wind, and sending her sword out of control. She wonders why Freadia stepped into danger even knowing that she still had an advantage on Itsuwa. Thus, Freadia faces off against the mysterious magician from fifty meters away, with her thoughts on Itsuwa's plan, though decent was still likely to fail. The magician pulls out her sword again, this time the same one that cut down the trucks in the first place. As the blade slices towards Freadia, she holds out her hand with crystral radio components and the Trapezohedron that Vase coughed up after being detained. The cut struck her hodge-podge. Here, in accordance with the principles of the legends of stones and the sword being connected in spite of being physically apart, her more powerful and conductive method (direct contact with the Trapezohedron) interfered with the stone, overwriting it and turning it into a the form of a Trapezohedron. The effect was the sword that was produced from the trapezohedron qualify as healing. The blade grew pitch black explosion and evenly attacked all nearby forms of life, throwing both Freadia and the magician into the air. Freadia smiles, contented that she had defeated a sinner. With the Amakusas freed, Itsuwa instructs Saiji the combination of the dial in order for them to heal Tsushima. Itsuwa comes towards Freadia, still quite conscious, though portions of her body was covered in black, which is doubtful that it can be healed from the sword as her injuries were derived from an extraordinary situation. Freadia mentions that the magician is likely to have the same injuries as well, and mentions that if she can get back to an Anglican cathedral, she can have the injuries, her curse, on her body broken. Isahaya and Ushibuka then arrives, with Itsuwa leaning on him for support while the latter carries Freadia. Isahaya explains that the others are looking through the destroyed trucks and that they are trying to salvage a working spiritual item for communication. Saiji, after treating Tsushima, tosses Itsuwa the ID from the attacker. The magician's name is Emilie Fordia, and her nationality was a country near the equator in the Pacific Ocean that uses pound as a currency. Itsuwa then asks if Freadia have any ideas. Here, Freadia realizes something from when she put on the armor from the Sword Sanctuary, on how her colleague needed her to help in the construction of a security arrangement for the summit of the pound economy leaders. As a planner for security, she is supposed to look into detailed information with the VIPs even with some secrets that they do not want to be discovered. Here, she realizes that Emilie wasn't attempting to get information out of her for use in assassinating a VIP of the pound economy but kill her outright. This means Emilie attacked not to gather information but to eliminate it. Here, she discovers the one behind the attac was from the pound economy.

News of the attack traveled fast with Prime Minister Aili Hexenphobia, a figurehead leader of a pound economy country, figuring out that Emilie had failed in her mission, despite taking advantage of the situation surrounding the Dusk Waiting to Awaken to attack Freadia. And news of her failure reached other ears as well as the Anglican Church has arrived to take her away for questioning, and entering her room. Aili makes no attempt to hide her involvement, apparently believing already victorious. She points out on how her country is still not free despite being "independent" from England, as the ley lines and other veins of magical energy are still artificially altered, and still being used by the Church to draw energy in order to spread their influence. As such, she states that she will destroy the magical foundation of England. At that moment, the entire room was covered in duralumin, originating from the attaché case in a corner of the room opening, slowing down the magicians present there from doing anything. Aili mentions the legend of St. George and how the spell is related to it, with St. George having God destroy the Romans' priests and temples destroyed with something like a meteor. Aili threatens that the spell would thoroughly destroy every temple, spiritual item, and other magical device in the range of twenty kilometers in every direction. The target was London, and the spell would essentially make the city a magical vacuum. Thus Aili boasts to them on how they have already failed, and she needs only to wait before the duralumin to uncover her room again to see the fruits of her triumph. Thus there was a silence in that room while they wait for the duralumin barrier to end. However, as it does so, Aili is horrified to discover that the city is still intact. Suddenly, there was a ringing of the phone, a fact that the occupants of the room thought queer, especially Aili, who only uses communication spiritual items with everyone within her group. Tension spread through the room even to the Anglican magicians there as Aili answered the phone. There, Aili discovers something terrible, someone said to Aili that their country's magical foundation have been destroyed. The person on the phone then asks if her country was okay. Upon hearing this Aili grew pale, as she discovers that the spell was swapped out to use they ley line connections and destroy pound economy countries instead.

Meanwhile, the party responsible, the one who "sold" the St. George-derived spell, notes on how the pound economy now not being able to function has reduced England's influence. And thus they begin their preparations in their final battle with England.

New Characters

 * Aili Hexenphobia