Chapter 347: October 18th

Li Mo genuinely believed that there was no patient Heaven Canceller couldn't save. Frenda's injuries looked severe—there was a gaping hole in her side. But with his assistance, Heaven Canceller assured Li Mo that Frenda would be fully recovered and discharged by the next day.

"Thank you, doctor."

"No need to thank me. Without your methods, that girl wouldn't have been able to recover so completely. Your techniques are truly remarkable."

"I think you've probably seen such methods before, Dr. Heaven Canceller. While magic is a secret to most people in this city, it shouldn't be a secret to you, right?"

Heaven Canceller was the man who had personally saved Aleister from the countryside of England.

It was because of him that Aleister chose to establish Academy City in Japan.

He wasn't a member of the Board of Directors, but his status was transcendent.

"Magic, right? I've seen that kind of thing before, but I think I'd rather trust my scalpel than something so elusive," Heaven Canceller said. "I've spent most of my life dedicated to medicine. I don't have the energy to delve into that kind of thing anymore."

"It's fine not to understand. In this city, I don't think anyone would dare to harm you, doctor. I'll probably be leaving the city in a few days. If you need any help, you can come find me. I won't take up any more of your time. It's almost dawn. You should get some rest, Dr. Heaven Canceller."

"Alright, I'll go rest then."

Watching Heaven Canceller leave the rooftop, Li Mo sat on the railing, gazing into the distance. His view was filled with towering skyscrapers, including the one at the very center of the city—the **Windowless Building**.

Aleister Crowley.

How far had his plan progressed?

Recalling the original story, his goal—"to shatter all phases and end all mysteries"—hadn't been achieved.

After the battle with Coronzon, he had given up on his goal, hadn't he?

After all, his daughter was still alive.

Lilith—a special name. But to Aleister, it was simply his daughter's name.

"Sigh…"

Li Mo pondered what kind of value he held in Aleister's eyes. In his plan, the absolute core figures were probably Kamijou Touma and Accelerator, right? The former was one of the reasons he built Academy City, and the latter was the esper he had waited decades for.

Yet, the Chairman hadn't anticipated that Hamazura Shiage would follow in Kamijou Touma's footsteps and successfully defeat a Level 5. As rational as he was, Aleister had prepared to eliminate Hamazura. But he hadn't considered what would happen if Hamazura survived the repeated attempts on his life.

That would make him the young master with **unshakable luck**.

Aleister probably couldn't comprehend what "unshakable luck" even was. A magician who always failed and was never favored by the goddess of fortune would find it hard to imagine, right?

In a way, Li Mo's situation was similar to Hamazura's. The difference was that Hamazura was a Level 0, while Li Mo was a powerful magician. To the plan, both were variables.

What exactly was his role in all of this?

Forget it… he'd take things one step at a time.

And so, Li Mo spent the night of October 17th on the rooftop of the hospital. Probably, many things had happened that night, but in a metropolis like Academy City, it was nothing significant.

October 18th, clear skies.

When Li Mo, along with Fremea, was preparing to move to a new place, while Frenda was still recovering in the hospital and Kinuhata Saiai came to visit, a sudden change occurred—or rather, a change Li Mo had already anticipated.

The President of the Russian Federation, Sergey I. Klenikov, declared war.

War had suddenly begun.

Living in Academy City, Li Mo keenly felt the shift in the city's atmosphere as the war started.

—Of course, the change was subtle. In response to the declaration of war, Academy City merely mobilized its Anti-Skill units and deployed various high-tech measures.

But that was only on the surface.

Behind the scenes, Academy City's dark side organizations began to be mobilized—starting with those composed of adults. The student members of the dark side remained inactive for the time being.

However, according to the news Kinuhata Saiai brought, dark side activities in Academy City had hit a standstill, as if there was no longer a place for them.

"I'll step out for a bit. Fremea, stay in the room and keep your sister company."

"Okay~~~"

Li Mo pocketed his hands and left the room.

Kinuhata Saiai watched Li Mo leave, then turned to Frenda and said, "So that's the guy who saved you during the big dark side battle?"

"Yeah? What about it? He's my big brother now."

"He looks pretty average, but he gives off a super~ cool vibe. It's weird," Kinuhata said. "It feels more like he's Fremea's brother, and you're just mooching off the title."

"He's still my brother."

"Frenda, you're so proud! Hmph! You're so selfish—you had a sister all this time and never let us meet her!"

"Well, you've met her now."

"But Rikou and the others haven't."

"Rikou and the others." It wasn't just Rikou; Frenda knew Kinuhata was also referring to Mugino Shizuri.

Thinking about her former leader, Frenda touched her injured side. The wound from **Meltdowner** really hurt. In the past, she had really, really liked Mugino, even learning a dance for her birthday.

Now… thinking about her former boss, her feelings were much more complicated.

"Hey, Frenda. I'm super sorry…"

"Sis, sis, don't be sad. I'll blow on it, and the pain will fly away!" Fremea hopped over to Frenda and blew on her wound, as if she truly believed her words could make the pain disappear.

Frenda laughed.

...

What happened in the hospital room, Li Mo didn't know. After leaving the room, he went to the hallway vending machine and 'coincidentally' ran into Heaven Canceller, who was bending over to buy a drink.

"Will this war affect you?"

"Probably just an increase in patients at the hospital."

"You don't like that?"

"What doctor would enjoy seeing their hospital fill up with patients?"

"The war won't last long. It won't even go on for a month."

"Well, I'll take your word for it."

Heaven Canceller said.

Li Mo only said this because he knew the plot, but after experiencing the world firsthand, he realized no one could really predict when the war would end.

At that moment, a nurse approached and said, "Mr. Li Mo, there's a visitor for you."

"Is it a dog?"

"No, it's a group of people. One of them is a blonde boy with an afro and sunglasses."

"I see."

Tsuchimikado Motoharu? What does he want with me?

Li Mo walked out of the hospital and saw the group waiting for him outside.