Xochitl
Summary
Xochitl is a female magician affiliated with the Aztec Organization and serves as a member of MEMBER. Her narrative arc begins in the Arts and Sciences City Side Story (Railgun SS1), set after Sherry Cromwell’s attack on Academy City, where the Aztec Organization clashes with the U.S. forces over the Stargate Project island. During this conflict, Xochitl initially threatens Saten Ruiko to secure assistance for a minor task, but later saves the girl when the U.S. side moves to execute her. Although Xochitl participates in the organization’s plan to destroy the island facilities and engages Misaka in combat, she ultimately defies her superiors, choosing to cooperate with Misaka and the others to resolve the crisis. As punishment for this betrayal, Xochitl is exiled to the 'dark side' of Magic VS Science conflicts and sent to Academy City to assassinate Etzali, another traitor who had previously left the organization. Her penalty is severe: over two-thirds of her body was ground into dust to serve as raw material for a forced Aztec grimoire, which was then integrated into her body using artificial tissues. Etzali is horrified by this treatment, noting that forcing a grimoire onto an individual is unheard of in their circles, given his experience in the dark side conflicts. Despite this grim fate, Xochitl eventually ends up joining MEMBER, the elite team serving under General Superintendent Aleister, where the leader Hakase is aware of her true identity as a magician. Xochitl crosses paths with Etzali when GROUP intervenes to protect Musujime Awaki from BLOCK. While the rest of GROUP passes through, Xochitl confronts Etzali, having already eliminated fifty mercenaries hired by BLOCK using her Aztec grimoire. The ensuing battle nearly drains Xochitl’s life force, but Etzali emerges victorious, seizing the grimoire and binding it to himself to bear the burden. In Volume 19, she appears briefly, discussing the current state of the Aztec Organization with Etzali. It is revealed she was Etzali’s kouhai, and she resumes calling him "Onii-chan." When Motoharu makes a comment implying Etzali left the organization to pursue Misaka Mikoto, Xochitl shoots him a death glare, warning him that such a trivial reason is unacceptable. Her magical abilities include retrieving the will of the deceased if none was left prior to death, and later, a grimoire that compels opponents to commit suicide using their own weapons. She also possesses the power to 'take faces' by carving victims' skin into identity-changing masks, similar to Etzali. Additionally, she may utilize a 'hammerspace' to store items, as evidenced by her sudden deployment of her weapon. Xochitl wields a 'macuahuitl', a jade Aztec sword designed to crush and saw opponents in two. However, she lacks the strength of a trained Aztec warrior to effectively use its crushing force, and she is unfamiliar with its sawing function, which is ineffective against processed metal. This limitation contributes to her defeat by Etzali, who notes that the weapon is ill-suited for her.
