#(Summoning Devils) Touma

[dive-into-shadows]

A familiar but definitely unwelcome face pokes through the door to Adam’s hospital room.

“…It IS you! Haha, I thought I saw your dad out there, man!”

-Mikazuki “We Will Be Friends Whether You Like It Or Not” Touma, Poorlydrawnmoriocs

Adam looks severely annoyed. “Are you here to mock me, satanist?”

[katzkinder]

LMAO so that’s why Shamrock is the Devil Arcana!

Further context: I’m looking into whether there’s more connections for the known arcana of characters to help me assign further Arcana to C3 connected characters, and boy are there

MOST C3 characters with Major Arcana officially assigned to them have the relation inside their names

Jun, Yumi, Tsurugi, Shuuhei, and Touma instantly come to mind (The bolded characters are the relevant ones)

Kurumamori Junichiro, the Chariot: 車守盾一郎 with 車 meaning "car" (listen, it counts, okay. Chariots are just ancient sports cars)

Tsukimitsu Yumikage, the Moon: 月満弓景 with 月 meaning "moon"

Kamiya Tsurugi, the Hanged Man: 狼谷吊戯 with 吊 meaning "hang" (notably, this is also the kanji you'd use when talking about wearing a sword. Clever!)

Tsuyuki Shuuhei, the Hierophant: 露木修平 with 修 meaning "discipline" or "study" (I'm going to explain this one a little since it's not as direct. The Hierophant arcana is one which represents wisdom, traditional values, and guidance, and is characterized by a "mentor" or "teacher" figure)

Touma Taishi, the Tower: 塔間泰士 with 塔 meaning "tower"

Iduna is an outlier whose Arcana, the Star, doesn't appear to have any relation to her name, so I started to wonder what set her apart? And, of course, it's because she's an Eve! Realizing that allowed me to extrapolate likely arcana for some of the other Eves based off of what part of her character is star inspired: her combi with Freya

She draws the constellation Cassiopeia in the air, along with the Nighthawk’s falling star, in order to summon swords of light for her Servamp to fight with since Freya has no weapon of her own, right?

If it’s related to her attack, then, Mikuni would be the Justice, representing equality, fairness, and balance when upright, and when reversed unfairness (duh), lack of accountability (oof), and dishonesty (sounds about right). I think this suits Mikuni's character pretty well, don't you?

For Licht, the Temperance. When using his combi "Phantom of the Opera" with Lawless, Lawless proclaims for Licht to "Sing, my angel of music!" The Temperance arcana is illustrated with an angel as the focus of the card. When upright, it signifies prudence, harmony, and the merging of opposites. When reversed, it indicates excess, a need for self healing, and even a kick in the pants. Pretty perfect for our Greed pair, right?

Now, for Misono, there's only one Arcana that can suit him as needed, and hot take! It's not the Lovers (and the Lovers doesn't represent Lily, either, for reasons I will explain) It's Death! The Death arcana, while possessing a scary name, isn't really a scary card to draw at all. Well. In the grand scheme of things. Ultimately, the Death arcana represents an oncoming major change in life, regeneration, and the start of something new. It can be a shock to the system, but in the end, no matter the outcome, whether upright or reversed the Death arcana is good! Stagnation is spiritual death after all, and change leads to growth. Misono and Lily needed that big wake up and shake up the Death arcana provided for them more than any other pair!

Okay so, now for why I said the Lovers doesn't represent Lily. At first, I also thought Lovers for Lily, and Empress for Freya. However... While the Lovers does embody Lily's relevant character struggles, and the Empress does suit Freya, the Mother... They and another character knock the formula I've been seeing out of whack.

The formula goes like this. The characters with Arcana must be directly affiliated with C3 in some way. Failing that, they must be Eves. If they are affiliated with C3, their Arcana must be tied to their name if they are human.

Which brings me to Shamrock, the guy who threw a big ol wrench into everything. Neither of his names allude to the Devil. But you know what does? His attack, Die Verwandlung

And, furthermore, his literary motif, the Nighthawk Star

When he’s consumed by his wrath, the giant bird appears devilish in nature, BUT, there’s also a genus of nighthawk called the “Satanic Nightjar”

You see where I'm going with this? :3

To finish up, by removing Freya and Lily from the running and considering their Arcana to be tied to their Eve's journey as Servamp pairs are, ultimately, two characters with the same end destination by the very nature of the contract functioning like a marriage, this allowed me to place two more characters, including a rather recent one.

Mikado and Shirayuki.

Mikado represents the Emperor Arcana. While the Kanji in Mikado's name does not directly allude to this, the most common way for his name to be written is 帝, literally "emperor." The emperor represents control, stability, protection, and leadership, but reversed, means abused authoritative power and rigid thinking. For stubborn hovercopter parent Mikado, there's no Arcana that fits better! Fittingly, someone who draws the Emperor arcana can often learn a thing or two from our next character, the Empress

As for Shirayuki, her name is also the way a Japanese person would refer to Snow White. This, while kiiiind of a stretch, qualifies her for the Empress arcana, since at the end of the story, Snow White lives happily ever after after killing the evil queen, right?? |D And she IS a mother, sooo... She fits the Empress Arcana's maternal energies and symbolism, along with the connotations of creativity, abundance, and fertility. I mean, lady's got three kids that we know of AND she's the previous former Branch Manager of Tokyo C3. Statistically speaking, she would have been running Tokyo branch while lil baby Yumi was still on her hip. You gotta have some brass ones and a hell of a lot of brains to manage THAT.

Anyway, phew, that was a lot! Thanks for reading, and lemme know what y'all think! :D

[symphonicdream-a]

Call to Arms

Note: This drabble contains one instance of racism. In no way do I condone racism. So, here’s your warning against it. Read at your own risk.

For those involved, you are allowed to write your version of events that happen in this drabble.

----

There was no tear of paper to alert anyone of the portal’s presence. An alleyway was what greeted them as they exited through the portal. Kamijou Touma, Maira Espoir, Bowen Chuuno, Megumi Aino, the Hunter, Violent Violet and Melanie Sinclair all stood in the alleyway. The noise of people was considerably dampened, and she knew that they would probably be overwhelmed with the amount of people walking the streets at this time of day.

It was at least 8AM, Friday morning.

Melanie took the lead, taking them out of the alleyways and to the sidewalks. This was the shopping area of her town, and it was definitely something. Populated by various men, women and children of different sizes, colours and fashion tastes, some stopped to see watch the seven of them walk by. Touma’s misfortune manifested as him tripping over a cat and falling into a teenage girl. Said teenage girl punched him with the force of a scorned woman, causing him to shout aloud and draw more attention than they needed.

Of course, Melanie had to diffuse the situation and tell them that he was a foreign exchange student here to study English while ushering him away to the group. The remark the teenager said, though, had been something along the lines of a racist remark towards both her and Touma. She’d told them “You ching-chongs should just go back to China!” and stormed off.

Ouch.

Melanie ignored it and got Touma back to the group and continued their trek to the City Hall. It was where she’d been first summoned, and she would go back. To deny that spot entirely, and to face him down. It was quiet, save for some idle chatter from Megumi and Touma as well as Maira chiming in every so often. Bowen, the Hunter and Violet were quiet, which seemed different from what she knew of Bowen and Violet. The Hunter, though? She expected that from him.

But she didn’t expect that from everyone.

The trek to City Hall was waylaid by stoplights and crosswalks. Melanie had to drag Touma back onto the sidewalk before he got hit by a car, and then had to deal with the Hunter just crossing the street and holding up traffic. People angry honked while they crossed, and some cussed them out. All the Hunter had to do was look in their direction and they suddenly quieted down. The third time, the light somehow was green when it shouldn’t have been. Melanie pressed the light changing button but no sound emitted.

It was broken.

So, yet again, the Hunter crossed the street and held up traffic. There was even a Police Car. Melanie had to explain the situation and gesture to the light while traffic was stalled. It turned into the officer getting someone on the situation and letting them off scot-free.

However, the fourth time of street crossing got a bit dicey.

The light was green and it was okay for them to cross. Unfortunately, one of the cars almost hit Touma, screeching to a stop before they hit him and honking the horn.

“Get out of the road, asshole!” Came the voice of the driver.

“Right of way!” Melanie shouted back. “You’re running a red light!”

The driver got out of the car. A burly 6′0″ man with a shaved head and who looked like he got a chip on his shoulder. Immediately, he walked up to Melanie and shoved her, causing the group’s hackles to rise as they prepared for a fight. “You wanna go, you little whore?! Huh?!”

Melanie stumbled back from the shove, before gripping her fist tight and shouting, punching towards him but the fist never connected. In a near instant, the man’s body was blown backwards by the sheer force of the punch. Standing straight, she dusted her hands off and started walking again.

“Are you alright, Melanie?” Maira asked, concerned. Melanie nodded.

“That guy was a jerk.” Megumi commented.

“He nearly hit me with his car!” Touma was still a little shaken up by that.

At least the rest of the way there, which took an hour, was uneventful besides that. When they started to approach the City Hall, Melanie stopped walking for a few minutes. Staring at the building, looking at what it looked like. As if she’d never seen it before, but she had.

“This is it. This is where he resides. Let’s go... and stay close to me.”

They walked up the staircase leading to the automatic doors, with them sliding open and allowing them to walk inside. But Melanie knew where she was going, heading to the Administration Office. As requested, her friends did stay near her and watched as she opened the door.

The world around them faded away, replaced by the corridor she’d walked down not even a few days ago. She walked down it, and so did they. It was quiet, the sound of their footsteps the only thing they heard. The corridor seemed to stretch on, but Melanie gestured at Touma.

He reached out, touching the air in front of them with his right hand. Shattering it completely and forming the door only a few feet away. She walked forward, shoving it open and being greeted with the same greenery and waterfall that had been there when she last came here.

“I thought I’d cut off all avenues to this world. It seems I underestimated your pocket dimension.” Out of nowhere, a man clad in black appeared. His long pink hair was tied back in a ponytail and he seemed almost infuriated. “What is the meaning of this?”

“I’m here to reject your offer.” Melanie said.

“Nonsense. You’ll do as you’re told and take the seat. Become my bride as I have made you to be!” The man shouted.

“I’m not becoming anyone’s bride, shitface!” Melanie shouted back. “I’m not some doll you can pull around! I’m a human being, and I’m going to be free to choose what I want to do!”

“Melanie is not your toy!” Maira said, irritated.

“She’s our friend!” Megumi pulled out her PreChanMirror and Card.

The Hunter pulled out the red gun he usually wielded, training it on the man. As soon as he fired, the man vanished and appeared behind Melanie, kicking her in the back and sending her flying into the nearby clifface. She fell backwards onto her back, and turned over to get up but was covered by rocks except for her arms and head.

The battle began at that exact moment.

“Precure Rolling Mirror Change!” Megumi was surrounded by a pink light and changed into Cure Lovely. Immediately after, she called an attack, only to be grabbed in the face and tossed aside into the river nearby. Touma, too, was quickly taken out with a knee to the gut. The Hunter started to shoot at him again, firing with precision, but the man would disappear before any shot connected. Maira summoned a bright, glaring light, which stunned him for a few moments while Bowen also began to fire on the man.

It was clear, even with the help, they were outmatched. Violet went in to attack but he avoided it cleanly. “Hmm, even bringing a God Hunter...” The man seemed to already know about her, and that was shocking. “No matter, I am not a God, so your tricks will not work.”

The Hunter moved, sheathing the red gun and holding the golden, cylindrical casing to his chest. Melanie, who was struggling to get up from under the rocks on top of her, recognized what he was going to do. The familiar magic was starting up again.

“Soil is my power!” A circular part of the casing withdrew, extending out what seemed to be a drill. Long, black blades appeared shortly after and started to turn, creating a torrent of black wind. The Magun formed from the casing, from the blackened wind, and the man turned to face the Hunter. Unlike with the others, this was new. Noting his shocked expression, Melanie realized something.

Unlike the others, he couldn’t see to Wonderland. He knew nothing about the Hunter, nothing about what he could do. And that was their advantage. After the Magun had thawed, with the Hunter saying as such, he extended out a hand, pointing in the man’s direction. She remembered this clearly. He’d used it before during her tenure in Wonderland... The Magun.

“The Soil Charge Triad to use on you has been decided!” He reached into his belt, plucking a familiar Soil from its place.

“A bladestorm of bonds, Sword Viridian.” The bullet held a teal-ish green hue in its casing, and it was easily inserted into the Magun with a resounding Click.

Maira looked over, hazel eyes widened. “That magic-”

“The squall of fortitude, Kingdom Blue.” This bullet was a shining blue, as if torn from a kingom itself. It, too, was inserted into the Magun. Click.

“And finally... A prideful gale, Warrior Platinum.” The final bullet was a silvery-white colour, shining brightly as it was placed into the Magun. The final click resounded as the Hunter aimed at the man.

Melanie reached out a hand, finding a thread and gripping it tight. A tearing sound was heard and the man’s appearance faded away to show... a demon. With spiky, long horns and a muzzle for a mouth. It was as if the man was the Devil himself. A hellish roar echoed throughout the area, causing the ground to shake.

It was nothing short of horrific.

Cure Lovely pulled herself out of the river, getting to her feet. Despite being drenched, she yet again called forth an attack. The hellish monster opened its muzzle and shot out a stream of fire at her. It was quickly intercepted by Kamijou Touma, who blocked it with his right hand. The fire dispersed after a few seconds.

“Slaughter! I summon you, Knights of the Round!” With a bang, three colours flew from the barrels of the Magun, twirling and twisting as they flew. The Knights of the Round Summon the Hunter called forth seemed to materialize from the colours, and started their assault upon the hellish being.

Melanie finally got up, the rocks falling away as she did so. The being was avoiding the attacks everyone was trying to attempt on him. Even the summon’s attacks were being avoided. It was like a strange scenario in which the only winner would be the hellish being. She shuddered to think of what would’ve happened had she taken the offer.

But her friends were in trouble.

Melanie started to run towards the hellish being. There was no hesitation as she did so. Her skin started to glow.

“BALWYSIALL NESCELL GUNGNIR TRON!!!!!” She screamed, seemingly tearing her clothes off. But no, they only just vanished to be replaced by a quick transformation with Gungnir forming. She went to punch the hellish being but he avoided her as well. And then appeared in front of her, grabbing her by the throat and starting to choke her as he raised her up into the air.

Melanie couldn’t breathe, which meant she couldn’t sing.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The sound of a clock ticking filled their ears. The world around them grayed out, and even the hellish being was surprised enough to drop her. Footsteps echoed throughout the area, and Cure Lovely was the first to speak up.

“Who-”

“How did you escape my timelock?” A voice asked. It belonged to a young woman, who looked to be about twenty-two years old. She had short black hair tied back in a half-ponytail and teal eyes, wearing a long dark blue dress and black boots. But the odd thing was, she looked almost like an older version of Melanie. The hellish being roared, but soon turned gray himself. The young woman walked up to the group, and looked at all of them.

“They call me Azem, the Traveler.” She said. “Time magic is... somewhat of a pain to use, but I’m getting used to it. Anyways, it looks like you need more help. Fellow Traveler, who are the friends you hold close to your heart?” Azem looked to Melanie, who lowered her head and closed her eyes.

“Why are you here?” Touma asked.

“I’m here to help my counterpart, of course.” Azem said. “The one born from the orchestrations of a deluded demon. She and I are cut of the same cloth. I can see a shard of my own soul within her.” A chuckle came from her, and she inclined her head. “So, Traveler. Tell me who are your friends you hold close to your heart.”

“......” Melanie nodded. “Yukine Chris, Kazanari Tsubasa, Kohinata Miku, Lloyd Irving, Colette Brunel, Regal Bryant, Meteor Survivor and G’raha Tia.”

Azem laughed a little, before holding out an orange stone. “Here, Traveler. Use this and summon them forth to your side.”

Melanie took the stone, staring at it. She’d seen Meteor with this same stone once before. Hythlodaeus had given it to him, and he’d called them both New old friends. Was this because she, too, was a shard of Azem? The woman who called herself Azem smiled a bit.

“Call forth those you hold close and dear to your heart. Your allies of other worlds.”

Melanie closed her fist around the stone, holding it close to her. From where she stood, golden areas started to form. A glyph surrounded her, with eight circles that soon emitted light from them. Azem kicked the hellish being away, sending it sliding across the grayed floor. She stood straight again, looking at it before pulling out a claymore from what seemed to be thin air and assuming a fighting stance.

The lights dispersed one by one, revealing each person whose name Melanie had said before. But there was no time for introductions, as the world soon faded back to normal and the hellish being roared. Melanie handed the stone back to Azem, who pocketed it. The hellish being summoned forth demons of its own kind. There seemed to be many.

The song originating from Melanie’s Symphogear faded out, to be replaced with a different one. Chris, Tsubasa and Miku’s Symphogears did the same, once they summoned their Gears from the pendants they wore. A Unison.

One brings shadow, one brings the light Two toned echoes, tumbling through time Three score wasted, ten cast aside Fourfold knowing, no end in sight

“Let’s end this!” Melanie shouted.

The music gave way to the girls singing the song together. The hellish being roared and charged Melanie, who moved out of the way as fast as she could. Azem made a taunting gesture, causing the hellish being’s focus to be turned onto her instead. Provoking him to her. She pulled something dark out of her chest, letting it rise. A shadowy figure.

As the battle began, the sixteen of them split off into groups of four each, which meant each group had at least one Symphogear user with them. Swords swung, guns fired, magic was cast and punches thrown. Weapons were used without end, and the battle raged on without a seeming end. The Knights of the Round moved independently of the groups, helping decimate the demonic hoarde attacking them.

Melanie could feel power swelling up inside of her. She remembered this once before. Everyone could feel it. A swell of power from within them, from origins unknown. The groups fell back.

As if in the back of their minds, they all heard a shing sound. It was time to pull forth all their respective power and finish this off. Destroy this monster before it got any worse. It was like four Limit Break bars had filled up, and it was time to use them all.

A song resounded out, as if sung by all of them in their hearts. The Swan Song of the Valkyries, a song of Finé’s thoughts of causing the Curse of Babel. It resounded loud, though none of them were singing. The four Symphogear Users’ gears transformed into a different form of X-Drive. Their hair brightened with a gradient to it, and flared out. Wings made of fire expanded out, and they lost some of the clunkiness of the Gear.

Burning X-Drive. The one they’d used before, against Shem-Ha.

Glowing runes surrounded the group, and it was time.

LIMIT BREAK

The group rushed the hellish being, each one attacking with various weapons and spells. It was like a charge attack, with each person going after another. Each attack pushed the hellish being more and more towards the clifface that he’d thrown Melanie into. The Knights of the Round proceeded to pin him to it, and Melanie stepped forward.

She put both hands together, connecting the gauntlets and letting the spear form from it. She then pointed it towards the hellish being, in a form reminiscent of Elidibus during the fight at the Crystal Tower on the First. Her friends stood behind her, readying themselves for another attack.

“We are salvation given form!” Melanie shouted, and two ghostly hands placed themselves on hers. She knew who they were. Elidibus and Kanade, lending her a hand. How odd was it that an Ascian was helping her.

“Mankind’s heroes, and their final hope!” The words were foreign, coming out of her mouth, but this was true. The sixteen of them were the hope of this world. Even though they were from different worlds, they had all come together for this. Melanie delivered the final blow, empowered by her friends.

Piercing the hellish being with the cursed spear, Gungnir.

As if crumbling to dust, the hellish being lost form. Crumbled from his head to his feet, and was blown away by the wind. Melanie stood there after all was said and done, still holding the spear out. The ground rumbled and started to shake. The ceiling seemed to start to fall.

“We need to leave now!” Azem shouted. They all booked it to the door, leaving behind the battlefield they had fought on. Once outside and on the sidewalk away from City Hall, they watched as it crumbled to the ground. No one ever went there, but the people of the city stopped to watch the empty building crumble.

It was as if something changed. The world seemed to brighten up, and Melanie felt... lighter.

This was the beginning of a life orchestrated by herself alone.

--

Saying goodbye had never been her strong suit.

Melanie had opened fifteen portals, each pointing to different destinations. The worlds she’d brought them from.

One by one, they left. Each given a “see you later” by Melanie, who hoped to actually see them again. Once all fifteen portals closed after the respective person walked through it, Melanie was left with Azem. She looked to the Traveler and tilted her head to the left some.

“Do you need me to-”

“No. But before I go...” She held out the stone Melanie had given back. “I’ve learned all I can from the memories held in this stone. It’s time I passed it on to my counterpart, my fellow Traveler of the Stars.”

Melanie took the stone and put it in her pocket. “....Thank you, Azem.”

“See you again.” Azem turned away and walked off before seemingly vanishing into nothingness. Melanie was left alone, standing there on the sidewalk. She walked back towards the now-crumbled City Hall and felt no magic. It truly was over.

“So the imposter has been vanquished. Quite a feat.” The voice of the Overseer had Melanie on edge, immediately turning around to see-- a young man with long black hair and eyes that looked like they contained galaxies. Wearing just a plain graphic tee that had the Disney logo on it, slacks and velcro shoes. Nothing like the Overseer she’d seen before.

“Who--”

“I am the Overseer, Ryan.” The young man bowed. “The true Overseer. I assume this form is capable of being seen by you, as you addressed me.”

“Yeah, it is-- but why-- who--?”

“I am here to offer you the seat of God of this World. This will not change anything, though I will require you to come back every now and again. No staying away for years on end anymore.” He offered a smile. “And no, I will not be attempting to take you as my bride. You’ll find someone in your eternal lifetime, Melanie Sinclair.”

“....So, this means...” She didn’t know what it meant.

“If you take it, you will become a God. An immortal being, with powers unimaginable. And I would like you to take it, as you are the only mortal who can. The others ended up like...” He could only glance at the City Hall behind him. So, the false Overseer was a man who was once given said position? Melanie could barely believe it.

“What if I don’t?”

“Then I will wait until another few centuries. But I would like you to take it. You are compassionate, kind and do not kill without cause or reason. I did not orchestrate your birth like he did, but I have been watching. And you are currently the only one who can do this. I implore you-”

Melanie shrugged.

“At this point, I think it’s obvious if we leave it for someone else... That’ll happen. So yes. I’ll take it.”

Ryan chuckled just a bit and held out a hand. A pulse of energy emitted from it and went into her. For a few moments, nothing happened until Melanie suddenly clutched at her chest and groaned. It hurt. But she endured, and soon stood back upright. The Overseer smiled.

“Welcome to Godhood, Melanie Sinclair.”

Melanie gave a small smile. Nothing would change from here, she was just an ordinary girl with God powers now. It was just another Tuesday.

And things would remain as they were for her.

For the rest of her immortal life.

-----

@project-rebirth @tetsuwan-atom @rosecoloredmuses @kazeofthemagun @lunar-mage-mare @xbloodsoakedx

Thank you for allowing me to use your characters for this drabble!

Final Word Count: 3,701 words

[project-rebirth]

Beasts and Beings: Angels

Angels are immensely powerful beings with very volatile existences in the Toaru Majutsu no Index universe. They can be beings of either divine origin, such as the Archangels Gabriel and Michael of Christian doctrine, or artificial existences consisting of masses of highly concentrated AIM fields built-up from the thousands of espers within Academy City. Angels of divine origin get their magical power from an energy accumulated in Heaven known as Telesma. 

General

Appearances

Angels, both divine and artificial, have been described as possessing halos above their heads and various forms of wings manifesting from their backs, some of which such as the case of Archangel Gabriel can reach several kilometers into the sky, as well as speaking in an Angelic language that sounds like high-pitched gibberish to normal humans.

If deemed necessary, like a command from God, or being forced down from Heaven, an angel can acquire a human form. In the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, Angels hid their identities to enter ordinary people's cities and had meals with them. Indeed, as Gabriel can attest, he can hide his being an angel from humans quite easily.

Personality

Vento of the Front explains that Angels in the magic side have no free will of their own and that they are meant to be God's perfect tools, and are often referred to as messengers of God to humanity. Although, they can malfunction and in turn can be called a Fallen angel, or known as demons. According to Stiyl Magnus, Angels and Devils are similar in nature, however, the important thing is who they take orders from.

However, when a divine angel falls from heaven due to the effects of Angel Fall, they can break the orders of God in order to return to Heaven, such as killing humans, despite creating a paradox for God's plans for the Final Judgment, and seemingly have an orderly fashion of thinking. As with the case of Archangel Gabriel under the guise of Misha Kreutzev, who spends his time helping Touma, Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Kanzaki Kaori trying to find the culprit of her fall. Later when Kanzaki and the others try to prevent him or more appropriately inconvenience him from killing Kamijou Touya who was unknowingly the culprit, Gabriel resorted to destroying the world instead.

The case is somewhat different in the science side however, as evidenced by Kazakiri Hyouka's existence, as she displayed emotions similar to that of humans. However, Hyouka herself is shown to behave as a mindless tool similar to that of angels in Christian lore, after having her Fuse Kazakiri mode activated.

Abilities

As stated angels in both sides are extremely powerful beings, capable of causing great destruction. So much is their power, that their very existence can distort the world. It has been said that a single angel has the power to bring down the Vatican. Even a depowered one such as Archangel Gabriel in his first appearance was simply toying with Kanzaki, a powerful Saint in her own right.

An archangel such as Gabriel has been shown to possess the ability to manipulate any celestial body through the use of "Astral in Hand", allowing it to immediately block the sun by speeding up Earth's rotation. He also displayed tremendous speed, able to move from Russia to France easily and eliminate their forces.

In order to be "summoned" or take a physical form on Earth, Angels must have a medium, or "core", to keep them bound to the Earth. Likewise, if the core that binds them is destroyed their physical form will leave the Earth.

Both divine and artificial angels seem to be weak to Touma's Imagine Breaker as well, as with the case with Misha Kreutzev trying to avoid Touma's right hand, as well as Touma himself trying to avoid touching Kazakiri Hyouka after finding out her true form.

Abrahamic Angels

One notable feature that the angels of the magic side has is their name being chosen by God, which is the purpose for which they are created. As such the names of angels cannot be easily changed, unless a powerful distortion changes these laws of God. Angels are also genderless and is depicted in some Christian lore as having qualities of both male and female.

Angels are also apparently susceptible to Angel Fall, which forcibly casts them down from heaven. At which point, angels will try to get back into heaven, even if it means disobeying the will of God.

An angel's name and attributes are widely referenced by magician's spell chants throughout the story, such as being used as a way to borrow power from when constructing a magic circle.

Archangels

Archangel is a term used to refer to angels of higher rank than normal angels, in the Toaru Majutsu no Index universe there are four recognized archangels that are aligned to their own corresponding elements and attributes.

Each member of God's Right Seat derive their powers from the four archangels depending on their alignment after cleansing as much of their original sin as possible.

Archangel Gabriel

Archangel Gabriel (大天使　(ガブリエル) Daitenshi Gaburieru?) is an archangel that appears in Toaru Majutsu no Index. He embodies the The Power of God (神の力 Kami no Chikara?) and represents the symbol of water which is its attribute, and is the guardian of the moon, the governor of blue, and the protector of the rear side. He is the only true abrahamic angel to appear in the series thus far.

Acqua of the Back is aligned with the archangel. Because of the distortion of the elements, he can bypass the name God has given him and is weaker than normal, even then Gabriel is still more powerful than several other characters combined such as Accelerator and Kazakiri Hyouka.

Other Archangels

   Archangel Uriel, also known as God's Flame or Fire of God    Archangel Raphael, also known as Medicine of God    Archangel Michael, also known as Regard of God or The Likeness of God

Other angels

Fallen Angel

Lucifer the Light-Bringer was said to be an angel that was the closest being to be allowed to sit to the right of God, until he malfunctions and causes chaos in one-third of all the angels in heaven, making him rebel against God's will and causing war and becomes a fallen angel. He is later defeated by Archangel Michael who became the ruler of all the angels, and had become a higher being compared to Lucifer even though they were once equals.

Moreover, there is a mention of the Grigoris by Sherry Cromwell as the ones who gave knowledge to humans on how God created Man from clay before the time of Noah, knowledge which eventually gave birth to the golem.

Non-Abrahamic angels

Aiwass

Aiwass, the entity that Aleister Crowley supposedly summoned and the true author of the Book of the Law, has also shown the characteristics of an Angel, possessing a halo above its head and a divine form.

Espers

Espers of Academy City have been shown to sometimes exhibit angelic characteristics under specific circumstances. The most well-known example is what is termed "Awakening" by the fandom, wherein an esper gains wings and sometimes halos following contact with Magic and an emotional breakthrough. So far, only Accelerator has been shown to "awaken", gaining black wings partially during the Taowu incident at Seiin High School, then fully during the 0930 Incident, white wings and a halo during World War III, and finally platinum wings during the Ceremony of Mo Athair. Accelerator also speaks the garbled language of the angels in the early manifestations, though he can now retain his rationality.

The exact reasons behind this phenomenon are unclear, but it is known to be linked to Accelerator's mental state or him having an emotional breakthrough, like him feeling cornered or having something to protect. And when first manifesting a particular color, it follows Accelerator having contact with magic: redirecting the explosion resulting from Taowu's body collapsing into space; hearing Index's singing prayer to free Last Order from her coma induced by the manifestation of Fuse Kazakiri; singing a magic spell to save Last Order using data from Index's song, his encounter with Aiwass, and magical parchments under a Telesma-filled sky and crossing the Abyss using the new kabbalistic tree Clonoth with the assistance of Qliphah Puzzle 545. Index also compares the matter of the wings as similar to Telesma yet also fundamentally different in some way, and after first manifesting the wings, Accelerator, similar to Sasha Kreutzev as a former vessel of Telesma, is able to sense magic.

The cyborg Rensa 29, while making use of Accelerator's ability, was shown to be able to manifest wings same as Accelerator, deliberately getting pushed into a difficult situation to draw out the black wings and manifesting the white wings while determined to protect Yakumi Hisako, though she didn't manifest a halo.

The #2 Level 5 Kakine Teitoku manifests angelic wings when using his powers, but it is unknown if this is like Accelerator's, or just an aesthetic choice stemming from personal preference.

During the Level 6 Shift attempt on Misaka Mikoto, the transformed Level 5 esper manifests a halo, and even physically resembles the form of Misha Kreutzev during World War III.

The manifestation of angelic characteristics is not restricted to Level 5s only. While fighting to save her mother and using the magic of the Rosicrucian Spiritual Item violin Stativarius Ainsel, Sakibasu Yuri temporarily gained white wings and a halo.

Artificial Angels

The AIM Burst is a less obvious form of an artificial angel.

Magic cabals such as the Hermentic Order of the Golden Dawn (Aleister Crowley's former magic organization), seem to have dabbled in creating angels themselves by collecting the formless telesma into a container which is in the image of a person. It is unknown if they had succeeded, though since Aleister Crowley has successfully manage to create an artifical angel on his own, he was most likely influenced by the cabal's methods.

One example of an "artificial angel" is Fuse Kazakiri, the "artificial angel form" of Kazakiri Hyouka, an existence that manifested from the mixing of AIM fields throughout Academy City and resides in the "Imaginary Number District" when not physically manifested. Fuse Kazakiri, an existence that is considered considerably less powerful than an a Christian archangel, has displayed the ability to fire beams of energy that can reach several kilometers in length, project an AIM barrier that protects all those around her, flying at supersonic speeds and manifest a powerful energy sword.

The AIM Burst, an AIM entity product of the Level Upper network also displayed angelical attributes such as a Halo and wings similar to those of Fuse Kazakiri. It should be noted that Kazakiri Hyouka, Aiwass and AIM Burst all had small triangular-prism shaped cores inside their bodies that sustain their existence.

[toku-explained]

The Sword's Shadow

Heroes Odyssey: Not likely to cover every episode, but will cover this episode a little. Zero is talking about people, villains and defenders across the universes. All the heroes I saw listed below, but on with the episode. Zero still not admitting Zero is his apprentice, come on dude. Okay, Zero is talking like the events of Z are still ongoing here. I might not talk about this much until nearer the end, we'll see.

Hayata, Dan, Go, Seiji, Misuzu, Gen, Choichiro, Yamato-sensei, Ryoko, Scott, Chuck and Beth, Jack, Kai, Spark Lens, Reflasher, Gamu, Fujimiya, Katsuto, Genki, Seven 21's girl disguise, Ginga, Musashi, Julie, Maki, Himeya, Komon, Kaito, Serizawa, Sakomizu, Mirai, Jin, Rei, Ran, Nao, Taiga, Hikaru, Shou, Daichi, Gai, Riku, Leito, Asahi, Isamu, Kataumi, Hiroyuki, STORAGE, Haruki. So a couple of oddities, specifically the use of Misuzu instead of Kotaro, the not using Asuka even though Tsuruno Takeshi is definitely not a problem like Nagano Hiroshi's agency is, never mind I have learnt some stuff, and using all 3 of Zero's hosts and only one of Nexus' (counting The Next and Noa as separate). There's also stuff like not using Tsubasa, Amui or Yuuto or Tomoya, or not using Kazamori even though they used Jim, but that's less weird really. Okay

The Absolute Conspiracy: We're now set between Zero & Z Voice Drama and Z itself. In Tartarus' relative past he brought Reibatos to Future Earth, where he revives Bat Seijin. Bat Seijin concluded that with a heart Zetton could defeat the Ultra heroes, creating Uchu Kyoju Majin Zett. Later, the Tri Squad train on Planet Maijii, a high gravity world where Taiga and Titas had trained before meeting Fuma, when Zett appears. Taiga and Titas recognised him from when they faced another version on U40 and sealed him, probably referencing a Voice Drama scenario. Zett summons the Zetton Army, two regular Zettons, 2 Hyper Zetton, EX Zetton and, a modification of a Baltan Zetton fusion from around the same time as Zett on stage, Zetton Falx. The team struggles against them. At Ayaka City Ultrawoman Grigio is still fighting on behalf of her brother's against Zandrias and Noiseler, managing to drive them off. Zero arrives to recruit her, Grigio mentioning her brothers are helping in the hunt to stop Devil Splinters. Tartarus arrives on U40, noting it will be a problem for him one day. Joneus' quickly appears and Tartarus challenges him. After determining he will be a threat, Tartarus leaves, Zero arriving right after to ask for his help. The Tri-Squad continue to struggle against the Zetton Army until the sudden arrival of Galaxy Rescue Force members Andro Melos and Ultraman Ribut.

Saber: Is the rooftop near Fantastic Bookstore Kamiyama? I thought of it as being like, Kento's place, but we're still using it so I don't know. Mei's editor is now a Yeti Megiddo. Yuri has been in Avalon for a thousand years it seems, doesn't like the comic SwordXMan, which seems like he might be making a comment on the show itself? Anyway, we're finally going to Southern Base. A reminder to the fandom that the fact to us Reika is clearly evil, or at least lying, doesn't make the fact the Northern Base members took her statements at face value contrived. Rintaro is incapable of seeing flaws within Sword of Logos due to his past, but at the same time wants to believe in Touma, while Ren is against Touma for believing Kamijo about the traitor given Kamijo killed Kento. Ogami and Daishinji don't really know what's true, but will follow Reika's instructions for now. Yuri seems... intrigued? Confused? By Legeiel...have they met, or does he know Legeiel as someone else? Okay, defeating Yuki-san's Megiddo form seems to part complete the new Alter Book she's using, or rather it's just time spent, if it completes she'll be gone. In the next battle Yuri demonstrates his next ability as Saikou, producing Shadow to fight with.

Kiramager: More focus in finding the last Kanaema Stone, and what is up with Takamichi and Garza? Oh, Illusia, that's what. I knew the mention of a crescent would tie into Garza somehow. Takamichi has unresolved issues with Garza, brought about by Oradin interrupting the last Graduel, in a way Mabusheena doesn't. And yeah, that Garza was trying to kill him I suspected. Garza symbolically destroys the image Takamichi has of him ever being a loving uncle. Yodonna gets away with Illusia.

Dogengers: Yabai Kamen declares to the assembled members of AHK that with the treasure he has acquired, a Golden Seal, they will end the era of the heroes. In Fukuoka City Tanaka Jiro watches the news, which is interrupted by Shaberryman, who announces he is on the run from heroes, specifically Fukuokaken Fukuokaliber, a wielder of two swords and the politest hero in Fukuoka. Fukuokaliber had been active for 8 years, and Dogengers is the debut of his new costume, indeed the promo images all use the original. The hero asks Kitaqman for help, but he's too busy showing off a drink on his blog, Shaberryman then runs into workers for Yahata Construction, including the boss, along with their hero, Tengen no Yusha El Brave, a masked wrestler who now fights as a hero, El Brave is completely resistant to the attacks, and is aided by the workers in fighting off Shaberryman, who bemoans the company finances going down the drain when he's interrupted by the Yamashiro Gas Co. Sales Department Hero Division, Redron, Aoiron and Daidairon. Redron is polite and a little naive, Aoiron has something of a cool image and Daidairon is the curry lover. Yamashiro Gas Co. is actually based in Saga Prefecture, but has offices in Fukuoka. With permission from the company, the three are able to combine into Yamashiron, and defeat Shaberryman, and the crowds celebrate the heroes. Tanaka admires the heroes' strength. He's talking with his childhood friend, Yuki, who he last saw 17 years ago when he moved to Tokyo, they're making plans to meet soon. Both make use of Hero related stickers. On Nokonoshima Island the heroes are filming Hero House, during which we see Kitaqman's Kitaq Machine. The girls seem to be having fun. On the ferry back to the mainland to get lunch, as they arrive the city is attacked, and they're soon confronted by Yabai Kamen, some Karami, as well as the Arakuremono thugs who support the two members of Marou Project, Marou Kaijin Gulf and Marou Kaijin Gallia. Marou just means Evil Wolf, Gulf is the elder brother with an Osaka accent who loves to fight, Gallia is the cuter younger brother with a Tokyo accent. As Yabai Kamen demonstrates his power, explaining he took the chance to invade while they were on Nokonoshima, the heroes evacuate those nearby to the island before confronting the villains, but Yabai Kamen demonstrates his power further. Tanaka finds himself at the scene of the battle, watching. The heroes are able to defeat the Karamis, but Gulf and Gallia demonstrate they're also stronger, wiping the heroes out. Tanaka, remembering his childhood, tries to stand up against the villains, but his heroic speech never makes it out if his imagination, Yabai Kamen does offer him membership as an Arakuremono. Sending the Marou's off, he tells Tanaka he's Fukuoka's last hero, and gloats, before the arrival of Ohgaman, who swiftly defeats the Karami with his thermometer projectiles, leaving him ready to challenge Yabai Kamen one on one.

[dive-into-shadows]

Touma voice: I’m so proud of you bro………….

Adam is caught off guard by the voice and let out a small "eep" in the process.