When they returned to the lounge, Index had already fallen fast asleep. She had been exhausted earlier as well. Though she was supposedly the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, her stamina was even worse than Ruizi's after training, probably about the same as Uiharu's. After being put through all that for half the night, she was now lying on the sofa, deeply asleep.
"What are you planning to do to that child?"
Kanzaki stared hard at Fang Zheng and demanded sharply, while Fang Zheng yawned.
"Nothing much... Greater Dispel Magic."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng raised a hand and pointed at Index. Everyone watched as a dim beam shot from his fingertip and struck her body. Then, a bizarre symbol resembling the Arabic numeral "4" quietly appeared between Index's brows before vanishing completely with a crack.
"Alright, done and dusted."
Fang Zheng clapped his hands, while everyone else still had not reacted.
"M-Mr. Fang Zheng, that's it?"
Staring wide-eyed at the scene, Ruizi grabbed Fang Zheng's sleeve and asked, while he turned to look at her.
"Otherwise? What were you expecting? Did you think I'd need some especially grand ritual, make a huge spectacle, and preferably have some accident happen too..."
"Warning!"
Before Fang Zheng could finish speaking, Index suddenly opened her eyes on the sofa. But unlike before, she now looked like a robot controlled by a computer, speaking in a flat voice without the slightest inflection.
"Chapter Three, Section Two. Confirmed: the first through third barriers have all been penetrated. Preparing regeneration... Failed. Self-regeneration is no longer possible."
"What... is this?"
Seeing this, Kamisato Kanzaki and Stiyl widened their eyes and stared at Index in disbelief. They could even see the blood-red Magic Circle in the girl's eyes, glowing brightly.
But that was impossible. Index was not supposed to be