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

"I'll cover you from the outside."

Without praising Kamijou Touma's right hand too much, after neutralizing the **corruption** caused by the Grimoires, Stiyl calmly said, "You have your right hand to nullify the corruption of the Grimoires. You have the ability to fight. If I go in, I'll only be a hindrance." 

"Stiyl, do you remember what you saw when you went in?" 

"I remember." 

Although this building was abandoned, it still had its main door installed. 

Kamijou Touma remembered the scene after entering. The floor was spacious, but the walls were bare concrete, unadorned. Under the strange light, the concrete walls looked eerie. 

The entire floor was wide open, with very few support pillars. In the center stood a young man in ordinary clothes, surrounded by countless floating books, with Index at his side. 

Fortunately, Index and a blonde girl stood together, seemingly safe. 

Kamijou asked first, "Stiyl, what do you think?" 

"That magician is no ordinary person. In Avignon, he single-handedly killed a member of God's Right Seat. That's one of the highest combat forces of the Roman Catholic Church. Not long ago, Vento of the Front, who invaded Academy City, was also a member of God's Right Seat." 

"I know. Stiyl, don't waste time." 

"I want to remind you of this person's danger. Those visible books were all sustained by the magician's own magical energy. At the same time, he remained unharmed under the corruption of the Grimoires. 

I can't understand how he managed to do this." 

Index could ignore the corruption of the Grimoires. But similarly, that girl couldn't use magical energy. How did that magician do it? Combined with his feat of defeating Vento of the Front. 

This unknown magician was incredibly powerful. 

"I understand. I'll be careful." 

"Also, if possible, you should try to **destroy** the barrier. Did you see the many cracks on the floor of that room? They are key to the barrier's structure." 

"You noticed that so clearly?!" 

Kamijou knew that Stiyl hadn't been inside with him for long. Yet, under the corruption of the Grimoires, he had noticed these details. 

Stiyl said, "Don't you think those cracks are out of place? This is just my speculation." 

"Got it." 

Kamijou was completely clueless about magic. You couldn't expect a student who was still catching up on high school courses to suddenly understand the principles of magic in a short time. 

All Kamijou knew was that magic wasn't the same as esper abilities, but it could still be nullified by his right hand. That was enough! 

If Stiyl told him to try, then he would try. 

Kamijou entered the dilapidated floor again, this time keeping his right hand on his head the entire time. 

This situation was somewhat different from the one at the Third Research Institute. 

Back then, the alchemist's "Golden Alchemy" was incredibly powerful. Anything that could be imagined could be realized. The first time Kamijou entered the Third Research Institute, he had been driven out and had his memories erased. Only the power of his right hand had lifted the mental conditioning. 

Now, it felt similar. Back then, it was amnesia; now, it was corruption. 

—The difference was that the "corruption" of the Grimoires was continuous. In gaming terms, it was like "poison," a damage-over-time effect. 

So, he needed to keep his right hand on his head. 

Kamijou Touma, now was the time to test your reflexes. You had to use your right hand to clear the corruption before it became unbearable. 

His greatest trump card was the power of his right hand to "nullify all supernatural abilities." 

If he had to fight that magician, the power of his right hand would be essential. He couldn't keep it on his head then. 

But Kamijou had a feeling. 

This time, the problem might be solved without a fight. 

As he entered the room again, the power of Imagine Breaker continuously purged the corruption from the Grimoires. He could observe the room more calmly. 

Index was eating in the corner, next to a blonde girl with her eyes closed. A shrine maiden's figure was attached to her, identical in appearance to the shikigami they had seen earlier. 

—Was she using this method to **neutralize** the corruption of the Grimoires? 

This must have been the magician's doing, right? 

Kamijou felt like he had seen that blonde girl before. Academy City wasn't that big, so it was normal to run into people occasionally. 

He assumed the girl was from Academy City. Both Stiyl and Index had said that when faced with Grimoires, magicians' first reaction was to avoid looking at them and stay away. 

—The corruption of the Grimoires was severe. Yet, the blonde girl showed no signs of tension. She was even eating with Index. Due to the distance, Kamijou couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it was probably about the food. 

Come on, Index, can't you at least act a little tense? 

"Don't bother looking. Earlier, I set up an additional barrier around Index, temporarily isolating that corner from this world. What they see is only me reading here." 

"Are you the magician from Avignon?" 

"Yes, Kamijou Touma. You know this much... Did the genius magician of the English Puritan Church come to Academy City to track me? Well, I didn't hide my trail from France to Japan. I should say, as expected of the English Puritan Church under that woman's guidance." 

This person before him was the magician who had killed Vento of the Front. 

Kamijou still remembered the state of Vento's body. 

"Why did you kill Vento of the Front?" 

"Do you want to hear a lie or the truth?" 

"What's the lie?" 

"Vento of the Front's **spell**, the *Light of Judgment*, needed adjustments. He was using tourists in the Vatican to refine his magic. The situation was probably similar to the *Level 6 Shift Project* you experienced." 

The *Level 6 Shift Project*. 

Hearing the name of that project again, Kamijou's fists clenched. Memories of the past flooded his mind. 

He asked, "Then what's the truth?" 

"God's Right Seat," Li Mo said. "He was a member of God's Right Seat." 

"Is the lie true?" 

"That part is true, but I'm definitely not the kind of person who would kill someone I've never met." 

"Why do you need the *Index Librorum Prohibitorum*?" 

"Kamijou Touma, I suggest you don't come any closer. I know the power of your right hand, *Imagine Breaker*. If you destroy the barrier I'm using to read, I'll be in trouble. 

Don't worry, after I finish reading, I'll leave. You won't see me for a while." 

The unfamiliar magician spoke thus. 

Kamijou fell silent. 

He could see Index. Apart from being restricted from leaving, she seemed fine. From the beginning, he had no intention of harming Index. 

"What's your reason for needing the Index?" 

Kamijou stopped in his tracks. He was just one step away from the barrier. 

The magician pointed to his head and said, "For knowledge." 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kamijou shook his head and said, "No, that's not your true purpose."