Weissland Strainikov

Weissland Strainikov (ウェイスランド＝ストライニコフ) is a character introduced in Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index. He is one of the leaders of Science Guardian forced to carry on with the Natural Selector tournament despite the looming and ever-present danger of Academy City attacking them.

Appearance
Weissland is described as an aged man that is particularly large.

Personality
He cares for the well-being and safety of the citizens of Baggage City above his own, and as such exposes himself to being targeted by attackers. He is described as someone that wanted unnecessary bloodshed. Regarding this, he would rather have himself be sacrificed than having other people killed.

He apparently greatly cares for his family, as displayed during Kihara Ransuu's modified Russian Roulette game with him, as he was greatly pained at the thought of the probability that he might kill one of his family.

Background
As originally a leader of one of Academy City's 27 cooperative institutions, he was a supporter of Academy City up until the incident in Hawaii. After Baggage City was bought by Science Guardian, Weissland was put in charge and the finances associated with it.

Baggage City Arc
He first appears at the top floor of the high-rise hotel in Baggage City during the proceedings of the tournament, deliberately making himself the target of assassination in the even of Academy City's attack. He later talks to Útgarða-Loki, regarding the inevitable attack of Academy City, and the means to fight back against them. Weissland states that through denying resources, and spreading news that the Anti-Academy City Science Guardians "have a chance of winning" is the best bet against them. He later tells Útgarða-Loki after he noticing an intruder to eliminate an intruder.

Along with Útgarða-Loki, Weissland and a gaggle of Baggage City guards catch up to Saflee Opendays, who has taken down the intruder, Kamijou Touma, and asks her to give him to them, though she refuses. However, Touma regains consciousness, and states that he isn't the intruder. Weissland believes he is referring to GREMLIN, but Touma states that someone else is headed for Baggage City. Here, he reminds them that Academy City will not be waiting around doing nothing, and foremost, they will not be sending a higschooler like him. Touma simply states that "they" are coming. Saflee lets out a voice of confusion, and immediately after "they" came.

When he comes to, he sees before him Kihara Ransuu, and that he has somehow returned to the top floor of the hotel he was in. Here, he is rendered immobile by him. Here, Kihara shows Baggage City is burning before his eyes, that they may have killed hundreds if not thousands of innocent people, that he may have killed Útgarða-Loki of GREMLIN, that he has killed the other leaders of Science Guardians, and finally tells him that since he "finished his quota" he will be killing some time until the other Kiharas are finished. He complains to Weissland that the job was "too easy" and begins his altered game of Russian roulette; showing footage of Weissland's family being held hostage on his mobile phone.

In a sadistic game of choices, Weissland is forced by Ransuu to choose from either his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and two of his grandchildren, which one to shoot, as Ransuu had prepared five guns, with only one of them is loaded. Ransuu states that if no bullets comes out after he chose, then they all go free. After much terror, Weissland is forced to choose one, his son-in-law. However, Ransuu reveals that the footage was from the past, but the touchscreen of the mobile phone (which Weissland touched), is linked with the trigger. In other words, it's as if he pulled the trigger himself. What's more, Ransuu lied, all the guns were loaded, meaning it wouldn't matter what Weissland chose, he would've still shot someone. Weissland falls into the nadir of despair. However, Ransuu suddenly notices something, the hostages have become missing, and have been freed from their bonds. Suddenly, "Kamijou Touma" appears on-screen, who states that he will be taking care of things soon, and destroys the camera. Ransuu, however realizes that something so convenient could never happen, and assumes that he is an illusion.

It is unknown when, but Ransuu somehow driven Útgarða-Loki to the verge of death, but somehow manages to set-up an illusion against Ransuu. He then proceeds to smash a heavy pile of papers on his head. However, he is then greeted in by "Kamijou Touma".

Weissland does not appear since, and can be presumed to have died as he is not mentioned in the top floor of the hotel, where both Ransuu and Útgarða-Loki's bodies were found by Kihara Enshuu later. As well as the fact that most of the leaders were dead during Kihara Yuiitsu's arrival in Baggage City.

Quotes

 * (To Útgarða-Loki from NT 4) "…I’m often mistook for being a person of catastrophic ideals, but I’m just someone who hopes to avoid tragedies"