The Dangai University Database Center attack occurred on the night of October 3, on the Dangai University's Database Center building carried out as part of an elaborate assassination attempt on Misaka Misuzu's life by Academy City via Skill-Out.
The plan was a complete and utter failure by the Skill-Out gang led by Hamazura Shiage, as their initial plans were completely dismantled during the operation as well as internal strife between the members. The operation resulted in only their side receiving any casualty, with several members of the gang having been killed and incapacitated during the separate assaults of Accelerator and Kamijou Touma.
Background[]
The Recovery Movement[]
The Recovery Movement refers to a number of parents and guardians who have become concerned on the impending war between Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church and has demanded their removal from the city, seeing that it will be turned into a battlefield.[1] Misaka Misuzu is one of these parents and has become a representative for the movement.[2] Misaka Misuzu states that she was trying to get her daughter out of Academy City worried for her safety due to the war starting.[3]
Seeing her as a problem, Academy City allows her to use Dangai University's database center for her university report in an effort to isolate her as so to allow Skill-Out to assassinate her.[1]
Aftermath of the Skill-Out Uprising[]
After Komaba Ritoku's death, Hamazura Shiage a member of Komaba Ritoku's Skill-Out gang gets promoted as it's leader of the gang. However, because Shiage has yet to garner any respect from the gang, he is looked down upon by his fellow Skill-Out and give little regard for his leadership.[4]
Even then, however, under his command Academy City orders the Skill-Out in assassinating Misaka Misuzu. With their reward being not completely wiped out by the city's operations to take back the back-alleys from them.[3]
Planning[]
The plan was for Skill-Out to approach the facility in a vehicle stolen under the cover of darkness, fire 8 of their handmade incendiary rockets into the building and then escape quickly, hoping that the attack would kill Misuzu. The Skill-Out also had a rough sketch of the facility, allowing them to shoot their rockets in areas that would block off all the exits and having a good chance to fill the facility with smoke.[4]
Academy City gave assistance to Skill-Out as well for the operation, allowing Skill-Out to destroy the facility if necessary just to complete the mission (though also have the main data of the facility already backed up). Academy City isolated Misaka Misuzu in the facility to such an extent that the only a few private guards are left within the facility.[1]
At the time of the attack, Accelerator, as a member of Group has been invited to assist or to supersede the mission, though he declines and had his esper powers disabled as consequence.[1] The Anti-Skill seems to have been manipulated as well, seeing as they did not respond to Misuzu's calls during the attack,[5] and are later seen arguing outside the facility during the attack.[6]
Chronology[]
Attack on the facility[]
Problems during the attack[]
Skill-Out's bombing of the facility immediately goes awry, as three of their eight rockets misfired, and with the other five rockets having already been extinguished by database center’s automatic firefighting system shortly after igniting, the structural integrity of the building remained intact. Because of this Skill-Out was forced to search for Misaka Misuzu and kill her on their own.[4]
With the power being cut-off due to their attack, Misuzu hiding herself in the Substitute Processing Room,[6] the stress in performing the mission, as well as the poor teamwork of the Skill-Out members under Shiage's command, finding Misuzu became a difficult task.[4]
Counterattack on Skill-Out[]
Initial assaults[]
Immediately after finding Misaka Misuzu, Accelerator infiltrates the facility and opens fire on all armed personnel. At the same time as this, Kamijou Touma at the request of Misaka Misuzu (who opted to call him instead of her own daughter, even at the suggestion of Touma,[6] due to personal reasons) gets by the Anti-Skill personnel outside of the building and infiltrates the facility as well.[7]
Using a bulletproof glass found inside the facility to defend himself against gun attacks by the Skill-Out, Touma covertly disables individual Skill-Out using the glass and then relieves them of their weapons. With this strategy Touma is able to push through inside the facility that was swarmed with Skill-Out with little trouble even without a gun.[7]
Gunfight at the Substitute Processing Room[]
Touma eventually makes it into the Substitute Processing Room, where here he discovers that the Skill-Out were arguing whether or not to immediately kill Misaka Misuzu (who they have already captured) or to use her as a hostage instead to take care of the firefight that had started first.
Seeing the danger that Misuzu being caught in the middle of the Skill-Out's argument, Touma decides to find a suitable weapon to defeat the Skill-Out without them being able to counterattack. Touma later finds a gun that was carelessly left by the Skill-Out in the open, opting to use it to threaten the Skill-Out, Touma tries to carefully acquire the handgun without drawing the attention of the Skill-Out, since it was somewhat close to them.
Touma's plan however, fails after Misuzu noticed him. This forces Touma to hide from the oncoming Skill-Out who decided to check on the disturbance that Misuzu noticed. Now with the risk of trying to get the handgun increased, Touma decides to attack Shiage first with the bullet proof glass. The attack connects to Shiage's face (which painfully removed his nose piercing), quickly taking him down. However, Touma is unable to get the handgun as he discovers that there was actually two Skill-Out that came to investigate. The Skill-Out however was shaken by fear after Touma takes down Shiage. The other Skill-Out however, started shooting at Touma, out of terror as the Skill-Out that came to investigate with Shiage was shot down by friendly fire.
Touma who has been using his bullet proof glass to protect himself from the gunshots, decides to run towards the Skill-Out that were with Misuzu. However, Touma eventually loses grip of the glass and making Touma utterly defenseless. However, before being shot Accelerator arrives to take down everyone who was holding the gun in the room,[8] which ignites a firefight between him and the remaining Skill-Out. Touma uses the firefight to his advantage to quickly and carefully free Misuzu of her binds and escape the facility.[7]
While escaping, Accelerator notices Touma taking Misuzu away, believing him to be a part of Skill-Out (Accelerator does not realize that it is actually Touma), Accelerator aims his gun at Touma.[Notes 1] However, Accelerator later lets them get away after several Skill-Out arrive at the room after hearing the firefight, and is forced to take care of them first and then go after Touma later who he believed will not kill Misuzu before getting into a safer grounds, as well as the fact that Touma did not carry a gun with him.[8]
End of the attacks[]
Both Touma and Misuzu to escape the facility successfully, however, they both later came upon an injured and disraught Shiage who has somehow managed to escape the firefight and was now blocking their path. Here, Shiage accuses Touma of being one with their client (Academy City) and tricking them. However, Touma states that he does not know what Shiage is talking about and only came at the request of Misuzu.
Angered that someone who is not even involved would ruin their plans and cause their downfall. Shiage attacks Touma with his baton. Touma manages to barely defend against Shiage's initial attack since he first made sure Misuzu was out of harm's way, however, because of this Touma becomes open for another attack from Shiage which momentarily makes him flinch.[Notes 2] Still disraught at his situation, Shiage uses the opportunity to gloat on how he can save the situation if he can kill Misuzu. Touma counterattacks immediately afterwards, further injuring Shiage's damaged nose, and downing him.
With Shiage down, Touma tells Shiage that he had enough of Skill-Out's treatment towards human life. An angered Shiage states that they had no choice since Level 0s cannot survive without doing rotten actions. However, Touma states that Shiage should not put all Level 0s such as himself in the same category. Hearing this, Shiage realizes that Touma has yet to use any abilities since the beginning of the fight. Touma states that there are many Level 0s in Academy City, living their lives normally and are not being mocked because of their Levels and states that the reason why Level 0s are being mocked is because of the actions of Level 0s such as Shiage. Touma continues by saying that he may not exactly be Level 0 such as them, but at the very least he does not act like a minus like them by using his lack of power as a reason to attack others.
Touma's arguments angers Shiage and states that they are better than those with power since they don't use it to help them. However, Touma counters his statement by asking if he has actually helped someone even without power. With Shiage unable to answer, Touma finally concludes that if the Skill-Out only used their power to help others instead of attacking espers, then Academy City would have accepted them and not look down upon them. Shiage states that Komaba Ritoku, the former leader of their gang, lived by those ideals, and protected the weak, however, he died because of it. Touma states however, that even then, Ritoku had something that Shiage did not, and that was because he had something to protect that was worth dying for, he was fighting to protect Skill-Out and people like Shiage, he was fighting to protect his friends.
Greatly angered by Touma's belittling of them, even though he is a Level 0 himself, a shaken Hamazura Shiage charges towards Touma. Seeing this, Touma prepares his fist and states that the reason why Level 0s are mocked was not because of their weakness and states that Shiage should deal with his illusion on his own. Here, their attacks clash, with Shiage falling after Touma's attack, demonstrating the difference between them.[9]
Aftermath[]
Misaka Misuzu and Kamijou Touma[]
Misuzu later tells Touma (who was being sent to the hospital for his injuries) that she came to Academy City to take Mikoto away due to the impeding war between Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church. However, Misuzu states that she changed her mind after seeing that there are apparently many people who will protect Mikoto in Academy City.[3]
Group[]
Meanwhile, Accelerator discovers that Misuzu is fine and later meets up with the other members of Group, and assumed that they were ordered to punish him. However, Tsuchimikado Motoharu tells him that they weren't sent to punish him. Here, he reports to Accelerator that since Misaka Misuzu no longer wishes to take her daughter back from Academy City, her assassination order has been called off. Motoharu notes that the city will accept it since Unabara Mitsuki (Etzali) worked hard to for it's acceptance by the city.
Here, Etzali states that since Touma is keeping his promise of trying to Mikoto and her world, he should help out himself. Musujime Awaki assumes that because of Etzali's vague reasons, he be using unsightly methods to achieve his goals in order for the city to accept Misuzu's reasons.
Motoharu then congratulates Accelerator for his first job as well as his other work, and reminds them on how they would not be able to beat the higher ups if they were to play by their rules. Here, Motoharu states that since Accelerator is apparently an important piece for the higher ups, they might be able to use him against them, and asks Accelerator to work together.
Accelerator agrees to this, and warns all the other members of the Group that if they are to become a burden to him, he will not hesitate to cast them aside. Motoharu acknowledges this, and signals all of them to move on out as it was time for a counterattack.[10]
Effects and implications in future events[]
Accelerator's relationship with the other Group members solidified during the events of the Skill-Out Uprising and the attack on the Dangai University database center. This would later prove crucial as their faction would be put the test against other factions during the Battle Royale Arc.
Meanwhile, Hamazura Shiage somehow escapes Anti-Skill authority. However, because of his failure in the operation is demoted from being the leader of Ritoku's Skill-Out to being a mere subordinate of another Academy City faction, Item. Leaderless, Hattori Hanzou consolidates the fragments of the Skill-Out that Komaba Ritoku and Hamazura Shiage left behind, and assumes control.
Shiage's confrontation with Kamijou Touma would influence his actions during the Battle Royale as well, as he also gets involved with the war between the factions.[11]
Notes[]
- ↑ In the original novel, Touma interacts to Accelerator after the latter aims his gun at him, though he is also unaware that he is speaking to Accelerator and accuses him of being a Skill-Out himself. This misunderstanding allows Touma to escape as Accelerator hesitated on pulling the trigger on Touma due to his confusion.
- ↑ In the original novel, the fight is extended, with Touma trying to use the weapons he picked up from the Skill-Out he defeated. Touma also tries to counter Shiage's attacks.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS Chapter 4 Part 4
- ↑ Toaru Majutsu no Index II Episode 24
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS Chapter 4 Part 11
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS Chapter 4 Part 7
- ↑ Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS Chapter 4 Part 5
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS Chapter 4 Part 6
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS Chapter 4 Part 8
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS Chapter 4 Part 9
- ↑ Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS Chapter 4 Part 10
- ↑ Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS Epilogue
- ↑ Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 15