It was a fair question. In the Index world, trying to train in both usually resulted in death—or at best, left you like Motoharu Tsuchimikado, whose body was so damaged he could barely use either side properly. Yet here was this guy, walking around perfectly fine.
The Index Su Mo just coughed. "Honestly, I don't know why I'm able to use both either," he admitted. "But now, I think I'm starting to figure it out."
That got the Fairy Tail Su Mo's attention immediately. "You think it's related to our transmigrations?"
"Exactly," the newcomer said, nodding. "Let me ask you all something. So far, we've shared powers from many different worlds—your magic and spells, the Campione world's divine authorities and curse energy, the Danmachi world's Blessing of the Gods, the light of Ultraman Tiga, and now my esper abilities and magic."
"Let's leave the transformation powers of Tiga aside for a second. Just the magic systems alone—they're completely different. The way you extract power, store it, circulate it... even the nature of the energy itself—none of it matches. If we were normal, we'd have exploded long ago just from magical turbulence!"
"But we're not normal. Somehow, despite holding all these different energies within us, we've never felt any conflict. Isn't that strange?"
A long silence followed, as the other Su Mos digested his words.
"I've thought about this too," the Fairy Tail Su Mo eventually admitted. "At first, I assumed the powers we shared had merged completely, which is why I could use Campione-style curse energy to cast Fairy Tail-style magic—or vice versa."
"But then I experimented further. If they really had merged, there should only be one energy route available. Instead, I found that I could freely switch between curse energy and magic—or even use them simultaneously, running two different circuits at the same time. It's like having multiple overlapping energy systems that somehow don't interfere with each other at all."
The more he thought about it, the stranger—and more amazing—it seemed.
"Exactly," the Index Su Mo agreed. "That's what I'm getting at. While we don't yet understand the mechanics, the conclusion seems obvious: our post-transmigration bodies are special. Even abilities that should be mutually exclusive—or outright fatal when combined—coexist in harmony within us."
"Originally, I thought this was just my unique cheat code," he continued. "But after arriving here, I realized... it might be something all Su Mos share after transmigrating."
And it was precisely this trait that allowed him to master both esper powers and magic—something thought impossible in his world.
"Ah, so that's how it is," the Su Mo from the Campione world murmured in realization. That explanation did indeed make sense—it clarified why they could share powers without suffering any side effects. Still, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "But how did you even figure this out in the first place?"
After all, any normal person, upon learning that esper powers and magic were incompatible, would definitely avoid experimenting with both. Especially someone cautious like himself. It baffled him that the Index world version of Su Mo would take such a reckless risk, knowing the potential for self-destruction. More importantly—where had he even learned magic in the first place?
Magic wasn't exactly common knowledge in the Index world. On the surface, there weren't any obvious pathways for someone to get involved in it. In contrast, espers were trained systematically in Academy City—any child of the right age had a chance to undergo power development. But magic? That required contact with hidden factions that were very particular about whom they allowed into their circles. The Church didn't just accept random outsiders.
Hearing the question, Su Mo from the Index world coughed lightly and then, with a serious expression, made a sign of the cross on his chest. He looked at the Campione Su Mo with a benevolent gaze. "May the Lord bless you, lost lamb. I am your father—amen!"
"…" Campione Su Mo rolled his eyes. "You do realize I am you and you are me, right? Trying to act all holier-than-thou is basically just flexing in a mirror."
"If you're trying to be my dad," chimed in the Danmachi Su Mo, "doesn't that make us your dads too? I think we've reached the legendary state of being each other's fathers!"
The Index Su Mo chuckled and shook his head. "I almost forgot we're technically all the same person. But I wasn't joking just to mess with you guys—I actually am a priest. Or at least, I hold that title."
"What?!" The Danmachi Su Mo looked visibly shocked. "You, with your thick eyebrows and serious face, betrayed materialist ideals and became a god-lover?"
Admittedly, he himself had become a Familia member under a deity. But he didn't worship his goddess, Hestia. On the contrary, his worldview leaned heavily toward irreverence and blasphemy. In fact, most of his daydreams involved exactly that—climbing on top of the gods rather than worshipping them. And really, when your goddess looked like a lollipop-wielding ball of cuteness, who wouldn't be tempted? (T/N: Bro Really 😑😑)
"Hey, I didn't exactly have a choice!" the Index Su Mo said, raising his hands helplessly. "When I first crossed over, I found myself enrolled as a candidate magic priest under the Roman Catholic Church. That environment doesn't really give you room to say no."
It wasn't about belief. He didn't actually have faith in a god—unless said god turned out to be a cute little loli. His priesthood was a matter of circumstance, not conviction.
The Roman Catholic Church was one of the dominant magic factions in the Index world. In the earlier arcs of the original story—before the magic gods started showing up—it was the main opposing force to Academy City. The villainous group "God's Right Seat" was part of this Church. Though, later on, their leader—Fiamma of the Right—did stage a coup against the Pope, but that was another matter entirely.
"Landing in Roman Catholic territory might not be a bad thing," noted the Fairy Tail Su Mo thoughtfully. "Sure, in that world, esper powers are better known. But based on what I recall, espers are technically just another form of magic—science-wrapped magic. If we're talking about true power potential, magic takes the crown. Its upper limits reach all the way to Magic Gods and beyond. If you dig deep into it, you might just end up as the strongest version of us all."
That led him to another question. "So how did a Roman Catholic magician end up with esper powers? Shouldn't your storyline have been about climbing through the Church ranks—becoming a bishop, maybe even the Pope? Or joining God's Right Seat and staging a coup?"
Everyone else also looked curious now. The Index Su Mo's journey seemed particularly complex and layered.
"Because I was a double agent," he said casually, shrugging. "About a decade ago, when Academy City first started flirting with the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholics got spooked. So, they sent a batch of us into Academy City as spies. I was pretty young back then, and since my magical aptitude hadn't fully manifested, they decided to use me."
"…"
The Fairy Tail Su Mo was speechless for a moment. He knew the Index world's political landscape well enough. It was split between two superpowers: the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church on one side, and the Anglican Church aligned with Academy City on the other. The Catholics planting spies made sense, but—
"They sent a potential Level 5 esper to infiltrate Academy City?! Were they not worried you'd betray them the second you got strong?"
Indeed, judging by how powerful the Index Su Mo now felt, he had very likely become a Level 5—one of the top-ranked espers in the city. At that level, turning traitor was a huge risk. And given their shared shameless personalities, it was exactly what he would've done.
"I don't think they ever expected me to reach Level 5," Index Su Mo admitted. "To be honest, even I didn't think I'd get that far. Once I did, betrayal was absolutely on the table."
After all, as long as an esper didn't use magic, there was no danger of backlash. In that case, sticking with Academy City—especially under Aleister the inverted hermit—was a much smarter career move.
"But then, out of curiosity, I tried casting the simplest magic spell I could think of. Based on what we know from the source material, it should've just given me some minor injuries—like what happened to Motoharu Tsuchimikado. But strangely, there were no side effects at all."
That single experiment changed everything. From that point on, Su Mo in the Index world walked the path of dual cultivation—mastering both esper abilities and real magic.
"And since I was a Level 5, Academy City poured resources into me. Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church didn't want to lose their mole, so they kept feeding me forbidden magical knowledge. I played both sides and gained everything."
Being a double agent had its perks—and Index Su Mo had clearly mastered the art of two-faced diplomacy.
"Well," Campione Su Mo said, patting him on the shoulder, "you've definitely been through a lot."
Although "Index" Su Mo made it sound casual, being a double agent wasn't something to take lightly—especially not in a world where magic gods existed like ticking time bombs. Dealing with that kind of threat was far from easy.
Sigh. "Honestly, I used to think there was no way out," said Index Su Mo, shaking his head. "But after meeting you guys, I feel like maybe there's still a sliver of hope. If only a multiverse-tier Su Mo would show up someday."
His eyes lit up with ridiculous excitement. "With that kind of power, I could drag Othinus back and make her warm my bed!"
The others gave him blank stares.
"Go to sleep, pal. Dreams are free," DanMachi Su Mo deadpanned. While he too wouldn't mind seeing a godlike Su Mo drop from the sky, he knew better than to count on miracles. With odds that low, it was better to focus on strengthening the power they already had.
"Anyway," he added, remembering something from earlier. "You mentioned something about a 'Su Mo Little Brothers Project'? What the hell was that about? Don't tell me you also have clones?"
Index Su Mo chuckled. "Of course not. I'm not like Misaka Mikoto, a beacon of light and hope in the city. If Academy City dared to clone me, they'd be asking for a death wish. They can't even get their hands on my biological data. I always run my physicals and ability tests through Heaven Canceller's clinic—no leaks there."
"So that 'little brother' line earlier…?"
"Oh, that was just a knee-jerk reaction to seeing a bunch of people who looked exactly like me the moment I arrived here. I thought maybe someone was trying to clone me. Thankfully, it turned out to be just multiverse shenanigans. Otherwise, I'd have turned Academy City's dark side into a bloodbath."