I thought this episode was a pretty good one compared to the last few. I'm a bit sad that they cut the Kami-yan disease part out, but I'm happy they included Last Order's line in the crowd. The animation is much much better as well, especially the prelude to the big fight with Oriana. I'm disappointed that they didn't include all of Touma's epic "WTF I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE RCC OR THIS STUPID CROSS JUST STOP SCREWING WITH DAIHASEISAI" speech, though.
Explanation of conditions behind the Cross:
Spoiler for volume 10 parabolic antenna:
“Tsuchimikado, regarding the light’s that’s supposed to activate the ‘Apostle’s Cross’, is it a light that only appears at night, and not in the day? Because from the actions of the guard, even if he ignores the first rule that ‘they have to clean it on a certain day,’ he has to abide by the regulation of ‘they have to do it in the daytime,’ right?”
Between these two rules, even if they are to remove one, they have to put the other as priority. In it, there must be a reason why they have to put the other rule as the priority.
“Hm…it’s not unreasonable…nya.”
Tsuchimikado’s words aren’t clear as he says,
“But, that night light…what can it be? Can it be…moonlight? Like, a full moon…if it can be activated on a certain phase of the moon period…if it’s this sort of condition, the moon cycle and the date on the calendar…would be different. Even if they have already decided it…the date will differ because of the moon cycle, so they can’t decide on a…‘safe date’.”
Tsuchimikado’s suggestion is that if it uses ‘moonlight’, which is unrelated to the moon phase, there’s no need to strictly set a day for cleaning. Like, Easter or Christmas. They can just do it by choosing a certain day.
He concludes, since there’s a need to choose a date, there must be some sort of religious meaning behind it. In this situation, the date would be closely related to the conditions needed to be fulfilled in order to activate the ‘Apostle’s Cross’.
“…A night’s light…huh?”
Kamijou holds onto his handphone with one hand as he sinks into deep thought.
(It’s not that Oriana didn’t intend to use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’, but they can’t use it.)
Kamijou arranges all the information that he has in his head.
(They have to use a certain sort of light if they want to use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’.)
A fact that he has witnessed himself, and Stiyl’s information from the British Library, and then Tsuchimikado’s assumptions. He reconsiders these carefully.
(It’s not a day’s light, but a night’s light.)
Kamijou stares at the wall of the building. There are many electronic bulletins that are formed by lights.
(No, that’s not right. Since it’s something that was available several thousand years ago, it shouldn’t be something like a light bulb or LED, it’s something that only this night scene has.)
His eyes move away from the bulletin.
(A naturally occurring light…)
He holds onto the handphone with one hand as he sinks deeper into his own thoughts.
(Also, it’s a light that related to the calendar…)
Kamijou Touma seems to realise it as he looks up at the sky hovering over Academy City.
Tsuchimikado did mention this when he read Orsola’s report a while back.
The keepers of the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ aren’t serious.
A lot of them were playing with astrology.
But,
What if the astrology is important?
“Maybe—a constellation?”
“This…is rather likely nya…”
Tsuchimikado seems to nod his head as he remains silent for a while, and says,
“A spiritual tool…that uses constellations, isn’t rare…a constellation spell is the basic of the basics, the summoning of an Angel needs to match the constellation of the season.”
Tsuchimikado adds on that compared to the moon cycle, which is based on a month, a constellation is based on a year. For example, if a ‘Spring’s Constellation’ is the key to activating the ‘Apostle’s Cross’, they have to clean it up in a season with an ‘Autumn’s Constellation’. Just like this, they can easily mark down a ‘safe date’ on the calendar.
“This means that the guards…didn’t have bad attitude…they might be…using the constellation to collect…all the required information for their work nya…”
Tsuchimikado seems to agree with this, but just something like this isn’t very clear.
Thus, Kamijou honestly asks,
“A force is required to activate the ‘Apostle’s Cross’, but to use it, what’s the type to be used?”
“Basically…it uses 12 ecliptic, 28 north days, and 48 south, a total of…88 constellations, one of which is required to use the magic. In other words…in this situation, the ecliptic Aries and Scorpio do not have any power on their own…the stars that are arranged in a constellation, though they look very close…the distance is somewhat far huh? To include each and every single one of them…it’s rather difficult.”
“…Is it really like this?”
Though he isn’t familiar with constellations, Kamijou knows that it’s something that people believed in several thousand years ago. There’s a way to calculate the distance between the stars? To be honest, could anyone accurately recognize the structure of the universe in that time?
As Kamijou raises his doubt.
“That’s why they have to use that, Kami-yan.”
“What?”
“The old universe…no, we basically call it the sky…everyone thought that…this sky…surrounds the Earth like a giant dish plate…well, this feels like a celestial chart…nya?”
Tsuchimikado continues,
“…The magic of a constellation, uses such a celestial chart…it’s unrelated to the actual power of a star or the distance. This is something that displays this fixed picture…that appears…on this night sky…into a magic array. The picture itself is very simple, but that’s…a large-scale force. The picture itself isn’t complicated, so it can normally be used on several spells…but such a useful spell…there shouldn’t be a lot of them nya.”
Tsuchimikado says that when they were at the seaside resort, the night sky when the Archangel used the ‘power of God’ is used to develop this constellation magic, ‘a sky that’s beneficial to the caster.’ Kamijou can’t accurately tell how large scale the spells are that require the use of a constellation in the magic side. However, it is a shock for him now that he knows that this spell is somewhat related to the spells that Angels use.
“Then, that Oriana…”
“These…may be the possible conditions that’s required to activate the ‘Apostle’s Cross’. Because they need to gather the light of the night…onto…that Cross on the ground, and to accomplish this objective, they have to set up some sort of antenna to absorb the night’s light, and then use the link…required for the spell to be activated. The reason why Oriana was running around on the streets…was probably because she was…looking for the best place to establish this antenna.”
Tsuchimikado says that not all spells that use stars follow this rule. Like for example, on the last day of Kamijou’s summer holidays, the spear Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli that Aztec magician used. That kind of magic that uses the power of Venus has nothing to do with the night, it just heavily relies on ‘Venus’ actual position’.<--!Small nitpick, as I don't think Quetzal/Etzali has revealed his name yet, and skimming (skimming shouldn't take this long) through I saw the Katakana for this ridiculous weapon, and not Etzali's.-->
But, the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ probably doesn’t follow the same rule, because if it does, Oriana doesn’t need to find an opportunity. If it can use a certain light source like sunlight, they could have quickly activated the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ and dominate Academy City quickly.
Thus, the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ is likely to be a spiritual tool that uses the ‘appearance of a constellation,’ a picture of it.
The reason why Oriana is moving about is because she’s looking for a place where she can use the appearance of the constellation. Even so, what’s her reason for walking around the streets? Is it that the places that she checked up till now aren’t suitable for activating the ‘Apostle’s Cross’, or is she looking for the most suitable place?
“…However, for Oriana to really intend on…using the power of the Constellation…to activate the ‘Apostle’s Cross’…this is rather likely…”
Tsuchimikado says this as he ends his explanation.
“‘This is rather likely’? What do you mean by that?”
“This assumption…though rather solid, has a few…contradictions that needs to be solved nya.”
What would that be? Kamijou frowns.
Tsuchimikado says directly,
“Listen carefully, Kami-yan…the so-called ‘Apostle’s Cross’ is something…highly related to Peter… one of the twelve Apostles…of the ‘original Church’ that the ‘Son of God’ created when he died. Of course, the Romans…used this power to create the Roman Catholics, and the event that caused this to happen…was ‘Peter’s death’, or something after that.”
Tsuchimikado says that Peter was executed during the late 1st century A.D., and when Emperor Constantine first recognised Christianity was in the early 4th century, and the Frankish king, Papal the short, gave up this land in the 8th century. The time between these events is rather long.
Even so, it was after Peter’s death that people first erected ‘a Cross to commemorate Peter,’ and state that ‘this land is Peter’s inheritance,’ which led to a long road that ended up with 2 billion believers forming the nucleus of the Roman Catholic Church.
“About this, the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ was originally a Cross that’s set up on a grave. It should be something that was completed before some certain Cathedral was built. What’s wrong with this?”
“The date to use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’…and the constellation are important, I agree with these two points. But…Peter died…on the 29th of June. It’s a different season, the sky is also different…you should have heard of…the summer and winter constellations, right? Also, because of the latitude and longitude…one will see different constellations in Japan’s sky as compared to the Vatican. The Vatican’s sky on 29th June…is different from Japan’s sky in late September. If they can’t solve this problem, it’s impossible for them to use the constellations nya…”
In other words, during this season, they can’t use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’?
Kamijou slightly frowns.
“But, what would happen if they don’t care about the season and use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’?”
“Kami-yan, think about it…we use a direct current for our shavers…what would happen if we use alternating current instead?”
“…”
“I don’t know to what extent will this thing…be destroyed, but at least…they can’t successfully execute their plan. If not for this, wouldn’t it be meaningless for them…to specially these important…‘conditions of usage’ nya?”
“…Then, why would they bring in a spiritual tool that they can’t use…?”
“I don’t know nya…there may be a condition…to overcome this nya. Damn it, there’s not enough time to…think about this properly.”
Time.
Now that this is mentioned, Kamijou re-realises the restrictions.
“Assuming if Oriana and Lidvia are waiting for the constellations to appear in the night because they want to use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’, the restriction of activating it is still sunset, right?”
“It’s not immediate. According to the constellations, we may see it clearly only when the stars from the first to third class can be seen. Right now, the time…”
Maybe it’s because this call is very long, the time is about to reach 4 PM. The sunset of the end of September is normally just before 7 PM. Because the first star will shine before sunset, according to the situation, it’ll be extremely difficult if they operate after 6 PM.
In other words, they have to find Oriana in the next two to three hours. No, the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ may not be in Oriana’s hands. In this situation, they can only force her to spit out Lidvia’s whereabouts and catch Lidvia.
There isn’t much time.
Stiyl and Komoe:
Spoiler for volume 10 parabolic antenna:
“Anyway, I’ve already strengthened her blood vessels, added blood in them, and eased her pain signals to get her away from her shock state. What’s next is the doctor’s job…the paramedics are rather confident, saying that in a nearby hospital, there’s a miracle doctor who can fulfill much more of his ability the more critical the situation is.”
It sounds embarrassing.
It’s like a hooligan saving a cat on the roadside, and then caught in the act by an ordinary citizen.
“You…”
“Ah? What’s with this lifeless tone? I said it several times, I can’t possibly live with you cheerfully…WAHH!!”
Dong!! An unbelievable voice came from the phone.
A voice besides Stiyl’s…
“Uuu! Sensei hasn’t thanked you yet! Uwahhh~!! If you weren’t here, Himegami…Hiemgami would have—!!”
“Stop…stop it!! Why are you hugging me and crying!! I never guaranteed that I could heal her. If we can’t restore her strength, she’ll still fall in the end… ARE YOU LISTENING!!?”
Putting the phone next to his ear, Kamijou is silently worried (maybe) that Komoe-sensei, who’s clinging onto the magician, would be burnt to a crisp, but Stiyl unexpectedly doesn’t seem to be using his powers. Seems like if the other person is a small girl, he would let down his guard.
Some more background info on constellations:
Spoiler for volume 10 parabolic antenna:
By confirming today’s date and coordinates, he can tell what kind of stars are arranged in the blue sky. Even if he doesn’t use a celestial globe or an astrology site, he can accurately assimilate all the knowledge of the constellations and their positions in his head.
(If it’s of Index level, even if the person doesn’t look up at the sky to confirm it, it’s likely that the person could guess the answer by hearing this nya…)
Tsuchimikado bitterly thinks.
It’s already a problem to think of even using pure knowledge to go up against that girl.
No matter what, he still managed to come up with a conclusion.
(I see…nya. By using the constellations…such a view, this seems to be correct. This seems…to be based on an autumn’s constellation nya…no matter from which point…seems like one can use the same magical meaning behind it, completely…analysing this constellation…this should be what the enemy did…it hurts.)
Tsuchimikado scowls as he presses on his flank, arranging his thoughts.
Following the path that Oriana took, he understands something.
No matter where he looks at the constellation, it’s all the same.
At first glance, it’s an obvious conclusion, but if mixed in with a magician meaning, the situation is different.
A so-called constellation is really something temporary that’s seen from Earth. The stars look like they’re arranged, but that’s just a misconception seen from both near and far-off distances. In radical terms, if one sees the constellations seen on Earth from the side, it would look completely different.
In even stricter terms, if one is to observe the constellation from a slightly different point, the constellation would be ‘slightly’ off shape. That is also something that cannot be sensed by the human eye. Thus, several new magicians who interpret it wrongly would lose control of their own spells. For Greek and Egyptian magicians who want to use the power of the constellation, the reason why they want to build giant temples is to establish a more intricate and sophisticated observatory.
The starry sky itself isn’t strange, as it is a resource that anyone can use, but it takes time to prepare a spell to accept the power of a constellation: this is the characteristic of a spell that requires the use of a constellation. Though Tsuchimikado mentioned before that ‘a constellation can be used on numerous types of spells,’ there has to be different observatories set up for different types of spells. An example would be the multi-religions Greeks, who establish their ‘Ares Temple’ and ‘Helios Temple’.
Even so, Tsuchimikado has already passed through 3 to 4 observatories, and yet the displayed meanings are completely the same.
(This isn’t a coincidence nya. In other words—I can confirm that Oriana and Lidvia are planning to use an autumn constellation to activate the ‘Apostle’s Cross’…)
Tsuchimikado looks up at the wide sky.
He narrows his eyes as he looks through the sunglasses.
(…If so, what’s with this contradiction?)
Explanation of conditions behind the Cross part 2:
Spoiler for volume 10 parabolic antenna:
In the end, on the other side of the phone, the voice belongs to…
“Oh my, may I ask, are you Mr. Stiyl Magnus?”
“TO THINK THAT IT’S A WRONG NUMBER!!”
Both of them exclaimed at the same time. The woman on the phone sounds depressed, and said “I’m sorry”…it’s alright, really, but since she wanted to talk to Stiyl, a foreigner, why must she speak in Japanese? Kamijou wonders.
Tsuchimikado irritatedly sighs.
“Ah—ah—this is Tsuchimikado. I’m working with Stiyl now, so I’ll take the report nya…now, what do you have?”
“Just this. I’ve checked the records of the English Library, and found some new information regarding the ‘Apostle’s Cross’, so I’m going to report this.”
That casual voice can be heard.
On hearing that voice, Kamijou starts to feel suspicious. Where has he heard this voice before?
“Ah, don’t tell me…you’re Orsola?”
“This voice…ara ara. So it’s you. Thank you for what you’ve done during the past few days. Thanks to you, my body has now completely—”
“Nya, we’re off topic. Can we continue?”
Tsuchimikado says in an anxious and tired voice,
“—I’m working very well with the British Puritans. Two days ago, Miss Kanzaki even introduced me to this Japanese food store that sold wonderful food…ah, that’s right, I heard that they’re letting the Amakusa handle London’s own little Japan.”
“You’re ignoring Tsuchimikado’s words with a smile on your face!? Ah—hurry up and tell us what you know!!”
Kamijou starts to shout, and Tsuchimikado shakes his head about as if he’s anemic. On the other side of the phone, Orsola at least gives an “Ara ara” as she gets away from the topic.
“I see, then I better start talking about the information that I obtained from the English Library fast…Hohoho, this is good news, isn’t it?”
“…Even if you say it, please don’t tell us anything about places that sell good Japanese food.”
Kamijou says softly. In response, the other person says with a lively tone,
“I know that.”
And then,
“Actually, there’s a sushi shop five minutes from Waterloo station that sells really good sushi.”
“DIDN’T I TELL YOU NOT TO SAY THIS!? STOP CHANGING THE TOPIC!! HURRY UP AND TELL US ANYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT THE ‘APOSTLE’S CROSS’!!”
“What a pity…then, back on topic, please listen carefully.”
Orsola’s soft voice has a certain force in it.
Kamijou and Tsuchimikado look very serious as they focus all their attention on the phone.
“From the scattered records of the English Library, what we got are the conditions required to use the Ápostle’s Cross’.”
Kamijou’s shoulders slightly shudders.
Right now, what they want to know the most is information on the conditions required to use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’.
Orsola says to the two of them, now holding their breaths and waiting for further information.
“I heard that the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ is a large scale spiritual tool that requires the power of a constellation. People place the Cross on the Earth to accurately collect astronomical information. This is a mechanism that aligns itself accurately, collects light in the sky, and helps a caster activate the magic’s effects.”
“Which is what I told Kami-yan. The ‘Apostle’s Cross’ is some sort of a parabolic antenna. But…”
“…About this. To be honest, it isn’t something new.”
Kamijou inadvertently sighs, and Tsuchimikado just lets his shoulders drop.
“Oh my, why are you all so depressed?”
“We’re sorry, Orsola, we’re thankful that you work hard to find information for us. We’ve also found some things on this side, and right now, we don’t know how to take the next step.”
“I see—”
Orsola sounds depressed, but Kamijou is unable to care more about it.
Though Kamijou and Tsuchimikado don’t know how much information Orsola got from the English Library, it should be less than what they have. If they can’t get a better result now, it’s like declaring that there is no suitable clue for them in this deadlock.
Kamijou and Tsuchimikado look grim.
At this moment, Orsola Aquinas, who’s on the other side of the phone, says,
“—Then, about the information that Sherry and I found regarding the suitable constellations for the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ to be used, you should know about it. The ‘Apostle’s Cross’ doesn’t use any summer or winter constellation, and can use 88 different types of constellations all over the world…”
“Ah?”
Kamijou and Tsuchimikado let out this sound at the same time.
“Wait a sec, Orsola. What did you just say? I know that the area for it to be used is limited, but this is the first time that I heard that all the summer and winter constellations can’t be used. Just now, Tsuchimikado was worrying about the current season, that it’s impossible to use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’. If we can solve this, all our problems are gone. So I’ll be really grateful if you can explain this clearly.”
“…Ah, the situation has unexpectedly changed for the better. This is something to be happy about. However, I’m still a bit sad that not all the information can be used.”
”Stop despairing on your side. Hurry up and explain it, Miss Orsola. Also, is that Sherry you mentioned that Sherry!!?”
Kamijou called out two to three times, and at least Orsola finally gets back on topic.
“That…St. Peterborough…called St. Peter in England, is still widely called St. Peterborough. He was martyred on the 29th of June. Of course, the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ that the Vatican used was something later.”
Christianity was recognized in the 4th century. In reality, the Holy See was marked as an independent ‘territory’ around the 8th century. However, the time when ‘Apostle’s Cross’ was used, which was after Peter’s death, was around the 1st century. Tsuchimikado has already explained this.
Orsola again theorises that when Emperor Constantine recognized Christianity at the start of the 4th century, when Frankish King Papal invaded Italy and handed the land over to the pope—these events that were beneficial to the Roman Catholics, all of them are due to the power of the ‘Apostle’s Cross’.
“???...Excuse me, Orsola, but I’m completely clueless about history here.”
“In other words, you just need to remember that the time for the Cross to be used at the Vatican is normally during the end of June to the start of July.”
Orsola sounds relaxed. However, Tsuchimikado instinctively asks,
“…You say, at the Vatican?”
“Yes. In history, the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ was used once. Like what everyone here knows, that Cross can also be used anywhere outside the Vatican. Now the problem is—”
She pauses for a while, before continuing,
“—The only time when the Cross can be used at the Vatican is on June 29th. If one is to use it somewhere else, it must have its own date. In other words…”
Orsola continues again,
“In order to use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’, the caster has to know the details, features and characteristics of the area. Also, the caster has to choose the most effective constellations on the area out of the 88 for the activation to be complete. Lots of knowledge is required for these complicated characteristics of the area and constellation, though it’ll cause a constraint of using it only once a year. If they use this method, even if it’s the entire world, it may end up being taken over by the Roman Catholics.”
According to what Orsola said, in order to evangelise to the ‘sinners’, Lidvia Lorenzetti continued to move around the world. During this time, she might have looked for the conditions that are required to activate the ‘Apostle’s Cross’, which are the constellations corresponding to the local region, and the location and duration for the ‘observatory’ to be used. While Orsola was still a Roman Catholic, she had seen Lidvia carrying an old set of binoculars as she headed off to the next area.
“In other words, Lidvia once entered Academy City to look for places to use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’?”
“This problem can be solved by using a test…for example, there’s no need for all the latitudes and longitudes, as one can mark it down using the North Star. By knowing the important stuff before calculating the rest on a table, it’s alright for them even if they don’t enter Academy City. ”
“I see.”
Kamijou slowly digests what Orsola told him.
“Wait a sec, isn’t that a Cross that was made because of Peter’s death? If so, why can it be used in times other than the time when Peter died?”
“That’s what I was wondering…”
Orsola ponders for a while, and says,
“That spiritual tool…seemed like it was prepared before Peter’s death…”
“…What’s going on?”
“Actually, Peter did think through it, where he would be killed. As you all know, where Peter is resting today is at the centre of the Vatican. He knows that the place where he’s going to be killed would be closely linked to the history after that, so it ended up like that…thus, besides the Vatican…if there’s another place that’s suitable to the Roman Catholics, he could have chosen that place to increase the strength of the conditions required to use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’.”
Hearing this, Kamijou swallows his saliva.
Then,
“But, even if he can choose the place, he can’t change the date, right? Like say, not when he’s about to die, but to decide a date to use it…”
“That’s right. In fact, Peter was executed on the 29th of June. That is also the day that the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ can be used at the Vatican.”
“…If so, he intended to be killed that day, purposely letting himself get caught?”
“This isn’t…impossible nya.”
“Peter wasn’t on good terms with the Roman empire at that time, for he was enemies with the high magician of the empire, Simon Magus, and in the end, killed him. (Note: Legend had it that the magician Simon wanted to show that his power exceeds those of the Apostles, and thus let himself float in the air. As Simon was floating in the air, Peter kneeled down and asked God for a miracle. In the end, Simon immediately fell down and ended up dead). To do that sort of thing when Christianity was being persecuted, one can imagine what sort of end he would meet.”
“And there are many legends about Peter when he was executed. Besides the just stated one, there’s also the famous ‘Quo Vadis (Where are you going?)’ legend (Note: At first, Peter was convinced by his fellow believers to escape to the gates of Rome, and saw Jesus. He asked Jesus, “Where are you going?” Jesus replied, “I’m going back to Rome, to be nailed on the Cross again.” Thus, Peter understood what he meant, and went back to pay the price of his faith with his life). As Peter was being pursued by the Imperial soldiers, he was saved by his fellow believers, who begged him to run onto the streets. He already reached the gates, only to let himself get captured by the soldiers. Furthermore, he saw a vision of the ‘Son of God’ at the exit, realising that that is the time when he has to be the martyr.”
Orsola continues,
“On the day that Peter was executed on the Cross, he made this request, ‘I don’t dare to die the same way as my Lord, so please turn the Cross over.’ Of course, such a sentence came from a highly revered Christian, but maybe—”
“—Maybe, there’s some sort of significance in this act…”
Kamijou can’t help but mutter.
One of the twelve Apostles, Peter must have known that no matter what action he took, he would be executed one day. So, he could have used what he could have done with his own death and tried to get the best out of it, even considering what might happen several hundred years later.
After that, it’s the founding of the Holy See.
For this land, for the person he should be protecting silently.
This is different from an ordinary conviction. He actually considered about the effects, results and outcome of where he’s going to be killed, and at what time, before setting off for his road to death. This is the ultimate mix of coldness and mercy, a magic that can only be displayed by the ultimate performance. This is the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ spell that the Roman Catholics so rarely use.
“For historical Greats to do something on their own tombs isn’t uncommon. Even Prince Shotoku ‘completely destroyed’ the fengshui of his own tomb where he should be laid to rest forever, for he intended to cut ties with his descendants.”
Tsuchimikado’s face remains green as he says this, half impressed and half finding it unbearable.
After hearing this, Kamijou raises the most important question,
“Then, Orsola. Do you know…where the possible locations that the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ can be used on the 19th of September in Japan are?”
“That’s right.”
The other person replies without hesitation.
“Of course I do.”
The Kami-yan disease (why the hell did JC Staff cut this out?!):
Spoiler for volume 10 parabolic antenna:
Just as Kamijou is speaking, he caught sight of a red-haired priest who’s rather obvious looking.
Just as he’s turning around with a surprised look on his face, Stiyl Magnus is running over.
“What were you doing all this while nya. Don’t tell me you ran into Oriana and Lidvia…”
“No…”
Stiyl seems to have difficulty saying it out, so Kamijou answered for him.
“Oh yeah, this guy was thanked and lot by Komoe-sensei for saving someone, being hassled by sensei, and being bothered by it. That must be what happened.”
“Eh!? You…you silly amateur! I got away from that woman once I finished that call just now. Even if I use that ‘Disperse by-standers’ spell, once I get away from the spell boundary, I’ll be caught again. I spent quite a while before I got away.”
Stiyl unhappily spits out the shortened cigarette and extinguishes it by stepping on it. Tsuchimikado’s expression remains cold as he observes Stiyl.
“…Nya, that should be the Kami-yan disease. In this serious situation, while this Mr. Tsuchimikado is drenched in blood as he uses the ‘all-around reality array’, you’re stuck in this sort of love comedy situation nya…and to think that the target isn’t Index, but Komoe-sensei. You two are so weird, always so half-hearted. If you’re a man, you should just focus on one and go all the way!”
“Stop talking about that Kami-yan disease. For you to say this when you’re infatuated with your own sister, it doesn’t seem real to me.”
“No way! Who’ll feel affectionate for his own sister!? I, TSUCHIMIKADO, WOULD NEVER…IT HURTS!! …My wounds will hurt once I sho…shout…”
Tsuchimikado presses against his waist as he continues to tremble.
Kamijou tiredly shakes his head.
Prelude to the Oriana showdown:
Spoiler for volume 10 light of a night sky:
The place where Kamijou and Oriana are is near an experimental area. During Daihaseisai, ad hoc studies should probably be suspended. There’s no workers on the runway, and no lights inside the building.
This isn’t as huge as an international, instead feeling like a mini-runway for home-made planes like Cessna planes. The three parallel runways are 30 metres wide and 700 metres long.
The buildings themselves are the control towers on both sides of the runway: a fish-slice shaped board that’s mechanically supported. Instead of saying that it’s research on planes, this place seems to be focused on runway research. Each of the three runways have a giant fan, jet propeller, and other additional facilities.
But, because of the attack that Oriana let loose, the control tower machinery is destroyed, the experimental bodies that collects the data were blown apart, the asphalt ground was destroyed, as if someone was farming on it.
Both sides are running on this destroyed rubble.
The distance between both sides is about 300 metres.
“Ho.”
In this situation, Oriana Thompson smiles.
There’s 250 metres left.
“I do feel that a battle between ladies is more interesting. As expected, that Saint didn’t come in the end.”
She puts a flashcard next to her mouth.
200 metres left.
“There’s no additional security guards or magicians coming, huh? Hoho, it’s more interesting to have more people.”
A smile creeps onto her face.
150 metres left.
“Ah ha! Seems like there’s only three of you left, huh? Oh my, oh my, nee-chan was really tricked!!”
Oriana delightedly exclaims she tears another flashcard in half.
“And one of you is definitely out of this match! I always thought that his mind was the clearest…or is it because of that? To stand at the most dangerous position so as to let his comrades avoid the trap? WAHAHAA!!”
With Oriana at the centre, the sound of glass breaking spreads all around. After a second, the sound bounces back like an echo. At that moment,
All the sounds vanish.
There are definitely planes flying around all over the place, but the sounds seem like they were blocked out. It’s like the volume of a television set being cut off.
Stiyl, who’s running alongside Kamijou, pulls out another rune card.
“Is it a boundary? This cuts off all forms of communication, no matter physical or magical!”
“!?”
Kamijou wants to look around, but the enemy is right in front of him.
Stiyl, who’s beside him, can’t confirm it either. The duo are running side by side, closing in on Oriana. She continues to maintain that smiling face, responding quickly with that flashcard of hers still in her hand.
The 100 metres was closed up.
Kamijou and Stiyl are thinking separately about attacking Oriana from both flanks. As the range of the flame sword is longer, and Stiyl, who’s aiming, is much quicker.
“Hah!!”
Breathing in and making a sharp sound, the flame sword swings downwards.
With a “Humph”, Oriana tears another flashcard.
A water ball the size of a basketball appears on her right hand. Oriana then proceeds to catch the flame sword with the water ball.
There’s no explosion.
Before that, the water ball on Oriana’s hand changes shape, wrapping around Stiyl’s flame sword.
“!!”
Just before Stiyl was feeling surprised, the vine made by the water ball wraps around his wrist, and extends onto his arm, before wrapping around his entire body, from the head to the feet. Stiyl, who’s wrapped in a 3cm thick water body, loses his footing and collapses onto the ground. He uses his other hand, which is empty-handed, and presses his throat.
(If this keeps up, my breathing…)
“Stiyl!!”
Kamijou changes direction, instead of running at Oriana, he’s now running at Stiyl, who’s on the ground.
“Oh my, this nee-chan isn’t so simple to let this happen, huh?”
She turns her body around, using her left leg to kick at Kamijou’s waist. His body suddenly froze.
“UGH!!”
Just as he’s about to regain his posture, Oriana gathers her entire weight on her shoulder, ramming it towards Kamijou. Kamijou frantically uses his hands to block, but the impact came from below. On being hit by an impact that can break even a door, Kamijou’s body flies backwards. His body strikes the sharp and uneven surface of the asphalt ground, and a sharp pain can be felt.
Facing Kamijou, who’s lying on the ground, Oriana pulls another flashcard to her mouth.
Just as she’s about to bite and tear the flashcard,
“Destroy!!”
With this sound, Stiyl, who’s lying beside Oriana, lets the flame sword explode. The water surround him scatters in all directions.
A new flame sword appears in Stiyl’s right hand, and maintaining a low posture, he swings at Oriana from below. Facing the sharp tip of the sword that’s aimed her chest, Oriana moves her left foot backwards, as if she’s letting someone else by on a narrow road.
Just this alone isn’t going to avoid Stiyl’s attack.
Corresponding, Oriana uses the hand with the flashcard to slam it into Stiyl’s chin. It feels like a lightly clenched fist, like she’s begging. Stiyl, who’s trying to counterattack, strikes towards the fist with his entire weight.
BOOM!! An explosion can be heard.
Stiyl’s upper body leans back, as he lands on the ground without any resistance; the flame sword in his hand vanishes. Oriana looks away from Stiyl, who’s on the ground, as she slowly reveals a smile when she stares at Kamijou. Even if he’s outside the enemy’s noticeable range, Stiyl doesn’t seem capable of launching a surprise attack. His black coat and red hair are fluttering around, as if it’s being blown by a breeze.
“Cheh!!”
Kamijou frantically tries to stand up, but his body starts to tremble.
Seeing Kamijou like this, Oriana gently smiles.
“Your waist is as weak as usual. To fight with nee-chan like this, even a child can grow up much more easily.”
“You’re too noisy…”
Kamijou re-clenches his fists.
“I’ll stop you here; I won’t let you activate the ‘Apostle’s Cross’. If you’re going to cause chaos in Academy City and destroy Daihaseisai, I’ll definitely stop you.”
“Isn’t it too scathing to say that? This should be nee-chan’s best performance. I don’t know what the British Puritans told you, but the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ isn’t some evil thing. All religions wish for the happiness of people and the World. To this kind of religion, by using the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ that can change everything ‘in the most favourable manner’, maybe it can destroy the wall between the magic and science sides, and lead humans to happiness?”
Hearing Oriana say this while she’s toying around with her flashcard, Kamijou’s lips curl up.
He stares at the damaged runway, and reveals a grim smile.
“Well said. Because I can’t see the wall between the magic and science side, so this doesn’t feel surreal to me, but I know this is a good thing. However—”
He pauses at this moment, glances at Stiyl who’s still on the ground, and affirms his strength back into his five fingers.
He clenches his fist even tighter.
The human hand that can be used to do other things is now a weapon.
Kamijou says,
“To me, the balance of the science and magic side, as well as the domination of the world, those are just trivial things. What troubles me is that you’re using the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ here. Do you know what that means?”
“Hoho, of course I do. You think, what is this nee-chan working so hard for? It’s to use the ‘Apostle’s Cross’ to control Academy City. But you don’t have anything to worry about. Control isn’t such a nice word, but no matter what, everyone will be happy. And nobody would question that happiness, such a wonderful world is waiting…”
“I’ve never heard about this before!”
Rage can be implied from his tone.
He then silently and firmly exerts strength into his fist again.
“THAT ISN’T THE PROBLEM HERE!! THE TROUBLESOME THING IS THAT YOU HAVE DESTROYED DAIHASEISAI!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? STOP USING THE MAGIC OR SCIENCE, MAGICIANS OR ROMAN CATHOLICS, ‘APOSTLE’S CROSS’ OR SOME LEGENDARY SPIRITUAL TOOL TO TRY AND CONFUSE ME!! YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT OTHERS WITH THESE BIG-SOUNDING WORDS!? ALSO, YOUR REASONING IS COMPLETELY INVALID, IT’S JUST SOME RADICAL SAYING!!”
Kamijou roars.
He faces the enemy in front of him.
“What am I thinking? It’s nothing compared to that gibberish that you’re saying. But even for an amateur like me, EVEN I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!!”
He continues to shout at Oriana,
“So many people worked so hard for Daihaseisai, to make a wonderful memory out of today! So many people are taking part in Daihaseisai, and everyone put in all their efforts for this! WHY MUST THESE BE DESTROYED BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS!?”
Every single word continues to motivate this boy.
Kamijou Touma uses his entire strength to interrogate Oriana Thompson.
“No matter how stylish the religion is, can you beat these words now!? Is all the value that you are holding on worth this little!? For someone like you who can’t even break through this simple and boring logic, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE WHAT’S VALUABLE TO OTHERS!!”
“…Thanks for your little suggestion.”
Oriana’s eyes lose their smiling expression.
It’s a smile left behind after losing that happiness, the smile called cynicism.
“But, do you think that these sort of feelings can shake this nee-chan? If my thoughts are to be hurt just like this, this nee-chan wouldn’t have taken action in the first place.”
She continues to flip her flashcard around.
“So this nee-chan won’t stop here. I won’t be able to stop here as you please, understand?”
“…Just like this?”
“What?”
Facing a scowling Oriana, Kamijou continues,
“I don’t know what you’re trying to say to me, no matter what you’re trying to do to me, I won’t mind as long as it’s not overbearing. But,”
Kamijou pauses for a beat,
“Just now, those words, can you say it in front of Fukiyose-san and Himegami, whom you injured?”
Oriana Thompson remains silent.
She reveals a smile that has half her face twitch.
“In the end, this is all I want to say. If you say that you’re not going to do anything else, then I won’t pursue this matter anymore. Hurry up, take the ‘Apostle’s Cross’, and scram.”
Kamijou clenches his right fist.
Then he says,
“But, if you’re going to continue doing things in this city, and even intend on casting magic on those people who are injured and can’t move—”
A glow appears in his eyes.
It’s a strong light called will.
“—I’LL IMMEDIATELY SMASH THAT NONSENSICAL ILLUSION OF YOURS COMPLETELY!!!”
Yes you read that right, though however you're reading into it is a different story I bet lol. Nice gifs too
"Mikoto-chan, I didn't know you swung that way." - Lol. Then after that with Mikoto shaking Kuroko and Kuroko with her "ahh's,uhh's & ohh's" were simply hilarious.
Anyway great episode, now to patiently wait the 2 weeks for ep 13. Oh and the BGM during the ep was awesome as well.
But the main battle is just ahead! I wanted Kanzaki to appear though!
Kuroko wants Mikoto's mom as well?!! The Hell?!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilfriback
- I'm looking forward for that OST, the music when Oriana was talking with Lidvia caught my attention, it was a cello, right?
This music was first used at episode 3 when Tatemiya was talking about how they crushed Kanazaki's way of life and such. The music from this series is really GREAT!
Spoiler for Offtopic:
But what I really look forward to is the music from Accelerator and Awaki's battle.
9/10, this episode is sparking interest in the next episode so much, that its probably going to get the fans to be impatient about what happens.
But BGM was indeed exquisite in this episode, wish I knew what to look up for them : / the animation, I have no complaints. But really don't know what else to say, just waiting for the next episode to finally bring out thoughts.
Hmmm, so the last time St Peter's Cross was activated, Vatican City was created... Which would imply that the area of effect would be roughly size the city? If so, how big is Vatican City anyway?
Location: All ghillied up spying on someone ~2,000 yards away using telescope sights.
Age: 35
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen
Hmmm, so the last time St Peter's Cross was activated, Vatican City was created... Which would imply that the area of effect would be roughly size the city? If so, how big is Vatican City anyway?
Real-world statistics (if it is implied the series follows that): 0.44 square kilometers (0.17 square miles).
... Nah, that would however imply that Croce di Pietro's area of effect is smaller than the entirety of Academy City, which would make the whole point of Lidvia's plot useless.
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I like to run portable on my dude, so I ran while running runs in my portably portable, dude-like dude.
Real-world statistics (if it is implied the series follows that): 0.44 square kilometers (0.17 square miles).
... Nah, that would however imply that Croce di Pietro's area of effect is smaller than the entirety of Academy City, which would make the whole point of Lidvia's plot useless.
That's alot smaller that I've thought- Wait, is this base on the modern Vatican City or the past? I recall that they used to be bigger in the past...
Real-world statistics (if it is implied the series follows that): 0.44 square kilometers (0.17 square miles).
... Nah, that would however imply that Croce di Pietro's area of effect is smaller than the entirety of Academy City, which would make the whole point of Lidvia's plot useless.
errr....it could be the effect was actually converting Rome to Catholicism and the Vatican's founding was just a side effect.
i dont think it mentions the area of affect for st. peters cross. It could be larger if it want, probably. Geez wish i never fell asleep in AP Euro history
i dont think it mentions the area of affect for st. peters cross. It could be larger if it want, probably.
Quite unlikely, even if that's the case there should still be a range limit. Orsola mentioned that different areas require different constellations? So it's a matter of where one area ends and another begins...
Very good ep. Really liked they scene where Kuroko loses it when she sees Mikoto's mom
Oriana and that other depraved woman go on with their wicked plan, but Touma and Co. appear just in time. Touma gives one of his speeches, then we get a nasty cliffhanger and have to wait two weeks now
Geez, where's Accelerator when you need him? Other than Araki, Oriana and that other women are really messed-up enough that they would require a serious and thorough beating, but he's nowhere to be seen
Just Touma, and his last punch to Oriana was simply pathetic. I hope he at least puts some effort into it next time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dahak86
another good ep.
as usual, I loved the little KurokoxMikoto moments, as well as the StiylxKomoe ones... lolz
Geez, where's Accelerator when you need him? Other than Araki, Oriana and that other women are really messed-up enough that they would require a serious and thorough beating, but he's nowhere to be seen
I'm surprised that people don't bring this up... Or maybe the anime didn't make this clear. But the St Peter's Cross does not only protect Christians, it also protects non-christians. Yes in the end it would mostly benefit the Church, but in the mean time everyone would be happy because nothing bad would happen to them, or rather bad things would still happen, but everything would turn out good from them.
If you gamble and lose money, in the long run you'll still win money. If a bomb goes off in a building, there will be nobody injured.
I'm surprised that people don't bring this up... Or maybe the anime didn't make this clear. But the St Peter's Cross does not only protect Christians, it also protects non-christians. Yes in the end it would mostly benefit the Church, but in the mean time everyone would be happy because nothing bad would happen to them, or rather bad things would still happen, but everything would turn out good from them.
If you gamble and lose money, in the long run you'll still win money. If a bomb goes off in a building, there will be nobody injured.
So in the end the use of the cross would be beneficial for the city, and it could also speed-up the development of technology...
Sad that the use of it cannot be allowed, because the control of the city would go into the Roman Church's hands.
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lolz
-- did I get this right?
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