Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18/Chapter 6

Synopsis
Carissa witnesses the might of her Curtana Original firsthand, but eventually becomes cautious of overusing it and breaking it in the process. Meanwhile, she exchanges news with knights from England and announces her plans of returning to London as well as the defeat of Knight Leader, while the knights relay the status of the railway heading to Folkestone. Afterwards, Carissa talks to the president of France, who frantically called her after learning of the destroyer deployed in Dover Strait, and refuses to negotiate. Furthermore, she further pressures the French president into a complicated position as she uses her powers to create debris which she then hurled at a nearby nuclear submarine which she accuses is working for France. After threatening the French president to destroy Paris, Versailles and other locations in France at the smallest sign of aggression, Carissa hangs up and takes a helicopter to Buckingham Palace.

Touma manages to survive a hundred-meter fall with the help of Acqua of the Back, and the latter also rescued Index in the explosion caused by Carissa. Acqua clarifies that he could have let both Touma and Index to die to stop the current disturbance, but he chose to destroy the root cause of the chaos, who is Fiamma of the Right, as well as the coup d'état in Britain.

After Acqua leaves, Index regains consciousness, and she and Touma head out from their momentary refuge and soon finds the rescue seaplane that's used by the Amakusa as a makeshift base. Here, Kanzaki Kaori is recuperating, and plans to deal with Carissa are being organized by Saiji. Currently, all the Amakusa know is that the Knight Leader is defeated for now and Carissa has fled back to Buckingham Palace to do something about the Curtana Original's tendency to go out of control. Using this information, Saiji plans to initiate an attack on Buckingham Palace while the Curtana Original is sealed directly using the Victoria rail line that passes through the castle while the Anglican Church enlists the help of the witches to bombard the castle using Coven Compass. However, due to various circumstances, the Amakusa had to rely on a member of the royalty and someone who has no ability to refine one's magic power, and only Princess Villian, Touma and Index fit that role.

The three manage to sneak into Kensington in London, with Villian driving the two on a car after ordering a majority of hidden cameras in the area to be turned off. During the discussion, they notice that they are able to travel across London because the knights are too fanned out and dependent on magic for surveillance while the police is used to deal with civilians, but Villian becomes depressed about her weaknesses, and both Touma and Index ends up trying to lift her spirits. Soon, with the help of Touma, they make their way into the subway, only to find themselves in an electronic lock system that forced him into an awkward conversation with Misaka Mikoto halfway around the world. Fortunately, Mikoto is able to help out in removing the locks and the three soon make their way along the empty railroad.

As they head through the tracks leading to Buckingham Palace, Villian is joined by twenty of her loyal servants, who escaped to the subway in the middle of the coup. These servants later help Touma, Index and Villian in locating the seal they needed, but Touma soon finds himself fighting against a golem made out of paper, which Index identifies is based on the Norse concept of the Mokkerkalfe. Although Touma's right hand is capable of dismantling the paper golem, it remains capable of slowing their advance. Recognizing this, Villian's servants choose to fight the golem despite lacking the knowledge about magic. Villian eventually musters enough strength to face the golem alone, and on Index's cue, uses a technique similar to Index's Spell Intercept to break apart the golem's body, giving Touma a chance to destroy to Mokkerkalfe's last pieces.

In the aftermath of Villian's first direct fight as a princess, Touma receives a call from Itsuwa, confirming the success of their mission. However, now that the special railway car for the Curtana has been released, Touma and his companions have to run away to avoid getting caught in the effects of the first attack.

At 2:30 AM of October 18th, Buckingham Palace is shaken by a magical explosion 50 kilometers in radius. Carissa loses control of the Curtana Original and loses half of her own power in the process. Meanwhile, with the defeat of the Knight Leader, Carissa notices a sense of unease amongst the knights. Forced into showing results by the effects of sabotage against her, Carissa plans a direct assault against the opposition. Saiji "witnesses" the aftermath of the attack on Buckingham Palace from outside the 50-kilometer blast range and discusses the next part of the plan now that Carissa's forces are starting to cast doubt on their leader. Due to the immense amounts of Telesma released by the blast, Saiji advised to let the Telesma to dissipate before making a decisive strike on Carissa. For the meantime, the Amakusa organized a dinner for their allies, which also allowed them to engage in shenanigans, like nuns indulging themselves in meat, and everyone, even Agnese, Angelene, Sherry and Orsola, talking about maid outfits.

A kilometer away from the hearty dinner, Acqua gathers himself up and recuperates. There, he engages in a conversation with Knight Leader through magic, where they discuss about the status of the knights after the latter's defeat and Thororm's Defense Formula. Knight Leader warns Acqua about fighting against Carissa, even as she lost control of the Curtana Original. Then, Acqua hurriedly leaves his position as soon as he senses Villian's magical courier come his way.

Between the Lines
Elizard reaches the outskirts of London and has used a barn as a refuge to her, Laura Stuart and their exhausted steed. They are soon joined by Princess Riméa, who manages to track down their location through her personal efforts. As their discussion moves from Elizard's regrets for causing the personalities of her three daughters to Carissa's plans to crush Europe, Riméa notes that she had been near an Anglican Church camp dinner earlier and had picked up some food and accidentally got a calico cat in the process. Elizard is disappointed that she had missed out on a dinner and decides to continue on the trip back to London, especially as she prepares something back in the British Museum.

Characters
By order of appearance
 * Carissa
 * Kamijou Touma
 * Acqua of the Back
 * Index Librorum Prohibitorum
 * Tatemiya Saiji
 * Itsuwa
 * Kanzaki Kaori
 * Villian
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Kumokawa Seria (referenced only)
 * Himegami Aisa (referenced only)
 * Yomikawa Aiho (referenced only)
 * Ushibuka
 * Isahaya
 * Tsushima
 * Angelene
 * Lucia
 * Kouyagi
 * Nomozaki
 * Isahaya
 * Agnese Sanctis
 * Sherry Cromwell
 * Orsola Aquinas
 * Knight Leader
 * Elizard
 * Laura Stuart
 * Rimea

New Characters

 * Rachel

Locations

 * Folkestone
 * London

Abilities

 * Curtana Original - Carissa
 * Imagine Breaker - Kamijou Touma
 * Spell Intercept - Index, Villian

New Abilities

 * Mokkerkalfe

Unanswered Questions

 * What is the relevance of the flag-shaped spiritual item to the battle against Carissa?

Quotes

 * Young female servant: “The reasons people feel the need to take action are not so special. We gathered here because we wanted to fight for you. That’s all there is to it, Lady Villian.”
 * Itsuwa: “Y-yes! Good evening! This is Itsuwa finally completely free of the alcohol!!”
 * Acqua of the Back: “No matter who the enemy may be, what I must do does not change.”