Multiverse: Why does the world show a health bar? !

Avignon is a city in France with a long history. Even a single brick on its streets might be hundreds of years old.

For the past few days, the world has focused on this place. The reason? Massive protests against Academy City were held here. While many cities have seen opposition to Academy City, the scale and number of people here were the largest.

This was the situation on the surface.

Behind the scenes, the real clash was between the Roman Catholic Church and Academy City, two major powers.

Kamijou Touma, a high school student from Academy City, was the most unremarkable Level 0 in that city known worldwide for its esper development programs.

Yet, this ordinary high school student had experienced numerous events in just two to three months since the summer break began. From the magic side to the science side, he had been involved in the recent conflicts between the Roman Catholic Church and Academy City.

Perhaps it was because the favor of the Goddess of Luck had been erased by his right hand.

**Imagine Breaker**.

That was the ability held in his right hand.

The power to nullify all magic and all supernatural abilities.

Time and again, he had been dragged into these whirlwinds, partly because of this right hand. Now, Kamijou Touma found himself in Avignon for this very reason... right?

Traveling from Academy City in the Far East to this city in Western France took only a few hours. Academy City's supersonic aircraft was nothing if not fast.

And then... misfortune struck. The supersonic aircraft was headed to the UK and wouldn't land in Avignon. So, the way he disembarked from the plane was by parachute.

Forcing someone who had never parachuted before to jump out of a supersonic plane? Kamijou swore he would punch Tsuchimikado Motoharu hard when he got back to Academy City.

Luckily, he landed in a river within the city, which counted as a successful landing. The only downside was... he had to be rescued from the water.

"Um... Itsuwa, why are we sneaking around like this?"

Kamijou Touma asked the girl beside him, Itsuwa. She was a member of the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church, a former subordinate of Kanzaki Kaori. The two had met during the disturbance caused by Orsola Aquinas's attempt to decipher the **Book of the Law**.

Earlier, when he had fallen into the river, it was Kanzaki Kaori who had pulled him out. After that, she had taken him to avoid the crowds. Before Kamijou could even ask for an explanation, he was left in this hidden corner with Itsuwa.

"Right now, the protesters are looking for people with Eastern features. Unless you're staying in a residential area, they'll find you and assume you're from Academy City," Itsuwa explained.

"How did it come to this?"

Kamijou didn't know what to say. Even if his parachute landing had been seen, it shouldn't have escalated this quickly...

Itsuwa said, "For now, it's unclear. It might have something to do with the Pope's arrival here. Or it could be related to that person from earlier..."

"What?"

Kamijou heard the first part of her sentence but missed the second half.

Because Itsuwa's voice grew softer and softer.

So soft that Kamijou couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Never mind, Touma, why did you come to this city?"

Kamijou didn't notice how Itsuwa addressed him and immediately started venting: "It's all Tsuchimikado's fault! He dragged me onto the plane, handed me a parachute, and then kicked me out of the aircraft!"

"Uh... I see... But what was the purpose?" Itsuwa reminded Kamijou to get to the point.

"Well... I think it was something about the **Book of the Law**?" Kamijou scratched the back of his head. "Tsuchimikado didn't give me specific instructions, but I guess it's about using my right hand to destroy that **Book of the Law**."

Kamijou's right hand, **Imagine Breaker**, could nullify all magic and supernatural abilities, including magical artifacts.

A simple touch was all it took to destroy a magical artifact. Easy, convenient, and straightforward.

Itsuwa said, "So it's about the **Book of the Law** after all?"

"What's wrong, Itsuwa?"

"Nothing. Look, Touma, Lady Kanzaki is back."

Following Itsuwa's reminder, Kamijou looked over and saw Kanzaki Kaori walking toward them. However, the saint's expression was far from relaxed—she looked serious.

Kanzaki Kaori spoke: "The situation seems to have changed. Follow me to the Papal Palace."

"But isn't that place surrounded by protesters?" Itsuwa asked.

The two had tried to go to the Papal Palace earlier, but it had been completely surrounded by protesters, leaving no room to enter.

Kanzaki Kaori said, "We can go now."

With that, the three of them—Kamijou, Itsuwa, and Kanzaki—hurried to the Papal Palace.

The crowd around the Papal Palace had thinned significantly. After using a spell to disperse the onlookers, the group successfully entered the palace.

Then, they saw Tsuchimikado.

"Yo, Lady Kanzaki and Touma, you're here too."

When Tsuchimikado saw them, they also noticed him.

Among them, even Kamijou's attention wasn't on Tsuchimikado but on the corpse beside him.

It was a man in a green coat with green hair. A large hole had been torn through his chest, and if Kamijou remembered correctly, that was where the heart should be.

"Tsuchimikado, what's going on?"

Anger.

That was Kamijou's first reaction. Why was there someone who had died so gruesomely here?

As he spoke, his voice was unusually stern.

Tsuchimikado said, "Touma, he's Terra of the Left."

"Oh, and then?"

"Terra of the Left of the **Right Seat of God**, also our enemy in Avignon. I've already checked—the **Book of the Law** has been taken. And it wasn't by someone from the Roman Catholic Church. The bodies of the magicians Terra of the Left recruited are also in the church."

"You've already checked?" Kanzaki Kaori asked.

"Of course. I happen to know about their magic cabal—it's a small group from the US. The same one that committed crimes in the UK last time. But that's not the point, Lady Kanzaki. The point is, who killed Terra of the Left? Who took the **Book of the Law**?"

Tsuchimikado looked at Kanzaki Kaori.

As a member of the **Necessarius**, Kanzaki Kaori shouldn't have been in this city.

As a double agent for Academy City, Tsuchimikado had many sources of information, including the fact that Kanzaki Kaori had come to Avignon for the inexplicably missing members of the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church.

Kanzaki Kaori paused, then said, "I think it must be the one who kidnapped Itsuwa."

At this moment.

Unaware of everything happening at the Papal Palace, Li Mo had arrived at Avignon's airport. Seeing the crowds everywhere, he pondered how to sneak onto a plane.

He rubbed his nose, suddenly feeling an itch. Was someone talking about him behind his back?

Li Mo didn't pay it much mind and quickly dismissed the thought.

Suddenly, he turned his head and looked outside the airport.

From the sky above, squads of powered suits descended into the city.

Academy City's counterattack had begun.