The one who had entered Academy City… was none other than the one-eyed Magic God—Othinus.
She appeared to be no more than a young girl of thirteen or fourteen.
Clad in a black-and-crimson magical outfit, her slender yet well-defined figure was fully outlined beneath the fabric. A single eye gleamed with divine authority.
And yet—
Her arrival drew no attention whatsoever from the city's security forces.
As she stepped onto the streets, the people around her simply ignored her existence, as if she wasn't even there.
Walking calmly through the crowd, she listened to the conversations around her.
Then—
Her gaze suddenly sharpened.
Not far away, a group of students were excitedly experimenting with newly purchased CAD devices, attempting to activate "modern magic."
Othinus' visible eye narrowed slightly.
So this is it…
She had come here precisely for this.
A Magic God who had fused science and magic—
And now, something that bridged those two worlds had appeared.
Naturally, she intended to investigate it personally.
"Amazing… so this is modern magic?""Even Level 0s like us can use it!""Seriously, that 'Artificial Workshop' is insane…""They already produced multiple Level 5s, and now this?""I heard they even have spells as powerful as nuclear weapons…""Oi, that's just a rumor, right?""Who knows? Maybe they even reached Level 6 already…"
Every word was recorded flawlessly in Othinus' mind.
When she heard the name—
A faint smile curled on her lips.
"Found it."
"That was easier than expected."
Without hesitation, she stepped toward a nearby kiosk, grabbed a city map, and quickly located her destination.
The next moment—
She vanished.
Elsewhere…
The two "students" who had been chatting suddenly stopped.
They exchanged a glance—
—and disappeared as well.
This was all part of Aleister's arrangement.
A carefully laid trap.
Information about the Artificial Workshop had been deliberately leaked… to lure her in.
Moments later—
Othinus reappeared in front of a massive facility.
The Artificial Workshop.
She gazed at the building, sensing the strange power emanating from it.
Her brow lifted slightly.
"…Interesting."
Just as she stepped forward—
The doors opened.
A young man walked out slowly.
Smiling.
Calm.
As if he had been expecting her all along.
It was Izumi.
"Yo," he greeted casually."Long time no see, One-Eyed Princess."
The atmosphere froze.
Othinus' expression turned ice-cold.
"…Insect."
Her voice carried absolute disdain.
"Do you have any idea who you're speaking to?"
Izumi simply smiled.
Unfazed.
"Sheesh… just as arrogant as ever."
Then—
He tilted his head slightly and spoke into the air.
"Aleister."
"Let's begin."
"I'll give you a hand."
BOOM.
An overwhelming force erupted from Izumi's body.
A power so vast, so absolute—
—it descended upon the world like a divine decree.
At that exact moment—
Far away, within a life-support chamber…
Aleister Crowley opened his eyes.
Then—
He laughed.
"HAHAHA!!"
"Excellent!"
The container shattered instantly.
His body stepped out—
—and began to transform.
Silver hair flowed down.
His form shifted into that of a young woman.
One of his many possible manifestations.
Man or woman—saint or monster—
Aleister Crowley could be anything.
And now—
He had chosen this form.
At that moment—
All across Academy City—
Every distributed CAD device began emitting faint AIM diffusion fields.
Something had descended.
Every esper felt it.
Every magician felt it even more clearly.
The world… was changing.
Magic—
Was being suppressed.
Their power—
Was weakening.
Barriers that once concealed entire organizations—
Collapsed.
Hidden churches, secret factions—
All were exposed to the world.
Global panic erupted.
"Who dares?!""This is madness!!"
Magic cabals mobilized.
Knights, magicians—
They surged toward the Far East.
Missiles were armed.
Military forces deployed.
Within moments—
The world plunged into chaos.
A war—
Had begun.
Back at the Artificial Workshop—
Izumi stood calmly.
Behind him, the Artificial Heaven unfolded.
He activated the power of a simulated Star Creation Diagram.
The effects were immediate.
Even the Magic Gods trembled.
Their phases—
Their power—
Were being stripped away.
"Impossible…!""That man… moved already?!""And this… Aleister too?!"
"They've joined forces?!"
Panic spread among beings who once stood above all.
And right in front of Izumi—
Othinus stood frozen.
For the first time—
Her expression changed.
Shock.
"…You…"
She finally understood.
The being who had once descended upon this world—
The anomaly—
Was standing right before her.
Izumi.
For the first time—
Othinus felt fear.
Her power—
Was fading.
Her divinity—
Being stripped away.
If this continued—
She would fall.
From a Magic God…
…to nothing more than a human.
And so—
For the first time—
Othinus took a step back.
She was going to run.