To Aru Majutsu no Index III – 18 – Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and Ships of the Line

Misaka is one of the only people who didn’t get the memo that Russia is the place to be. We only catch her for a couple of brief scenes where she (and later Shirai) are reacting to news that Russia has issued an ultimatum to Academy City to cease all of its operations around the world or face nuclear annihilation. Well, that escalated quickly!

Hamazura Shiage, while eager to get Takitsubo out of danger and find a way to lesson her negative reaction to the ability crystal, instead finds himself once again right in the thick of things. Accelerator also wants to heal Last Order, but comes afoul of unmanned power suits who were after something other than them.

Shiage drove a car to Russia, Accelerator took a train, and Kamijou Touma…wait, did he run to Russia? Never mind; he’s thankfully not alone, despite his desire to be (which is probably why he didn’t invite Misaka). Lessar is tagging along, both to support him and protect British interests.

Elsewhere, an armada of ships crewed with a mixed force of Puritans and Knights sails out to meet the French vanguard of Roman Orthodoxy’s invasion, who create a hard surface of salt that halt the ships and enable their ground forces to attack.

Under the endorsement of Second Princess Carissa (who seems to have suffered few if any lasting consequences from her failed coup), Kanzaki Kaori lets the French have it. Meanwhile, while riding a train, Lessar announces her intention to seduce Touma, but his older, more sensible Touma prevails.

That being said, a capable extra set of eyes, ears, and fists has its uses, and at the station Lessar shows Touma she can handle herself if need be. After he saves the shopkeep he was going to rob from robbers who got there first, Shiage gets lucky again, when a passerby offers the services of a doctor for Rikou in exchange for fuel. As Shirai checks out the news in her and Misaka’s dorm (so underutilized!) Lessar and Touma arrive at the border of the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations.

There, they meet Elizalina, the sorceress who gave the alliance her name. She’s aware that Fiamma of the Right is after Sasha Kreutzev and the magical power stores she possesses, but before they can orchestrate a plan, Fiamma tears the roof off their headquarters. Yup, shit’s going down NOW.

I was not expecting a confrontation so soon in this, an episode where otherwise a bunch of pieces were being moved into place. But I’m not complaining about getting down to business. Touma shaters Fiamma’s attack, but it takes a couple moments, and Elizalina’s shield doesn’t last long.

Finally, sensing a huge amount of magical power that shouldn’t be there, Sasha Kreutzev drops in, and in the hastiest, most anti-climatic re-introduction possible, she’s immediately knocked out by Fiamma. He’d seem to have the upper hand, until yet another combatant takes the stage: Vento of the Front. She’s there to protect the interests and integrity of the Roman Orthodox church on which Fiamma is taking a piss.

Accelerator surveys a Russian military base that someone just kicked the shit out of, wondering who it might’ve been when he’s confronted by a number of cloaked mages, for whom he has no time and vows to deal with swiftly. And the cherry on top of this Russian sundae? That’s gotta be the imminent arrival of a masked Misaka by paradrop. There’s a lot of players old and new to juggle, but this still looks to be a lot of fun.