Chapter 103: Legacy

"What… what did you just say!?"

Nuriega-san escaped from prison.

And as if that unbelievable news weren’t enough, Baba-san’s transmission hammered in an even harsher truth.

『Not just that, it looks like he broke out in quite a flashy way… Tons of injuries reported, and a bunch of other criminals took advantage of the chaos to escape too. It’s practically a small-scale panic. The higher-ups in Academy City immediately put out a wanted order for Nuriega Onorei. …It’s already circulating underground as well. Dead or Alive, no restrictions.』

"…………!!!!"

I was at a loss for words.
Dead or alive… they can’t be serious!

"…………Mikoto-san."

Taking in the report, I quietly called out to Mikoto-san. She, too, was watching me with a solemn expression, waiting for my words.

"I’m sorry, but I’ll have to withdraw for a while. …In this situation, there’s no way I can stay away from him."

"What!? Wait, Jagged Edge, from that communication it’s clear your ex-fiancé carried out this prison break. But shouldn’t you leave such matters to the proper authorities!?"

The masked girl tried to stop us.
…Well, I understood her point. With ITEM already moving, and even Kihara Amata showing up, this is bad enough. Losing a Level 5 esper on top of it all is the last thing they want. I get it. But still…

"If we leave this to the authorities, it’ll almost certainly end in an irreversible disaster."

I was convinced of that.

"What are you saying…?"

"Think about it. Even if Nurikae-san did escape—how exactly did he manage it? Nurikae-san never underwent ability development, nor did he possess any extraordinary science. His background is only that of a former president of an Academy City-affiliated company. He’s just a normal person."

He would have had motive, yes. But for better or worse, his capabilities were "small in scale." He might have tried to topple GMDW by dragging society into it, but his so-called smoking gun was Reicia-chan’s suicide attempt. And to even get hold of that, he resorted to committing illegal acts.

He never had the means to push through his selfish desires on his own. That was his weakness—he always had to gather the materials for his schemes through dirty methods.

A man like that suddenly pulling off a solo prison break—and on top of that, staying ahead of a city-wide wanted order? No, that’s impossible.

At best, he had an accomplice.

At worst—

"…There’s the possibility he’s being manipulated by someone else."

"Exactly."

Mikoto-san’s guess hit the mark even from my perspective.

"I don’t know how much he’s really changed, but didn’t you save his life once, and talk things through with him? I don’t think he’d throw all that away now using such reckless methods."

Would he, though? If I remember right, Nurikae-san swore he’d get revenge on us no matter what it took…

『Yeah, I think so too. And to add… judging from the scene, I’d say it’s highly likely a "Kihara" is involved.』

………A Kihara?

Wait, was the scene really that insane, to the point you could immediately tell a Kihara was behind it?

『First off, the detention facility itself—including the walls of the cells—was half destroyed. Yet most of the criminals inside weren’t injured at all. …In other words, it wasn’t an explosion that caused the breakout. And most of the destroyed structures, for some reason, were melted—like dripping sludge.』

…Ahh, I see. That definitely screams Kihara. Buildings melting like ice left out in the summer—that’s not normal science. Given this city’s track record, it’s only natural to suspect Kihara involvement.

Still… if that were the only evidence, isn’t that conclusion a bit hasty?

『Of course, that’s not all. "Kihara Gensei’s legacy" was used in this breakout.』

"…………Kihara Gensei’s… legacy?"

At that ominous phrase, Reicia-chan reacted before I could even speak. Baba-san confirmed with a simple 『Yeah.』

『Think about it. A prison break from a detention center alone wouldn’t have caused so many casualties, right? So where do you think all those injuries came from?』

"…………"

『It happened. A Poltergeist of Uncontrolled Ability Release.』

………!!

An outburst.

Even if they’re criminals, in Academy City many of them are students, or at least have undergone ability development. Even at low levels, they all possess AIM diffusion fields. That means an ability rampage is always possible.

And when it comes to Poltergeists, that was Therestina-san’s field of research… but if you trace ability rampages back to the source, Kihara Gensei was the pioneer. During that incident, he wielded those Poltergeist outbursts as if they were his own limbs.

That expertise could rightly be called "Kihara Gensei’s legacy."

『The detention facility’s outer walls had already been weakened by melting, so it collapsed completely. Guards, Anti-Skill officers, and criminals who hadn’t escaped were all caught in the collapse and injured in large numbers. Luckily, there don’t seem to have been any fatalities… but then the criminals who did escape clashed with the reinforcements from Anti-Skill, causing even more casualties. And in the middle of all that, Nuriega slipped out without a hitch.』

"…………That’s far too efficient."

There’s no way Nurikae-san himself could have pulled it off with such monstrous precision.

I don’t say this to belittle him—on the contrary, I believe that Nurikae-san isn’t the kind of man who would resort to such atrocious methods, not to the point of no return.

And if that’s the case—if someone else is using him as cover, orchestrating this breakout behind the scenes—

"Fine. We’ll be alright here. You go do what you need to do."

"Eh!?"

Mikoto-san spoke without taking her eyes off the direction where the other Sojiha had disappeared.

Of course, she would rather I stay. Even Kinuhata can nullify electricity, and with a Kihara and another Sojiha present, the situation is already precarious. But even so—

"Who do you think I am? I’m Academy City’s Third Ranked, the Railgun Misaka Mikoto. …I don’t need some freshly minted ‘rookie’ Level 5 backing me up. I can handle this much on my own."

Mikoto-san smirked, fearless.

Normally, Reicia-chan would bristle at being looked down on, but this time she stayed calm.

"Then I leave this place to you, Mikoto."

"You got it!"

With that, Mikoto-san vanished into the night, dragging along the masked girl who still looked reluctant.

Watching her retreating figure, I unfolded the wings of Crack.

『Oh, right, Shireicia. Adabana is heading over to support you. I’ll send the coordinates, so pick her up on your way. She’s a combat type, at least… should be of some use.』

"Understood."

I nodded, and we took to the skies, maneuvering Crack.

Ever since I mastered ultrasound-based pseudo-telekinesis, I’d been applying it to flight as well, which allowed us to move fairly quietly. Truly, the adaptability of a Level 5 is invaluable.

…Now then.

We ascended only a dozen meters or so, then turned our eyes toward the detention center where Nuriega had broken free.

The scene was still far off, the chaos not yet reaching us—

"Let’s go save him."

That man’s story of "resurgence" has already begun.

Whoever it is that thinks they can trample over it and use him for their own gain—no matter if the whole world forgives them, we never will.

Chapter 3: The Worth of a Soul Is Nonsense — Double(Square)_Faith.
Episode 87: Legacy — His_Malicious.

"...What did you just say, Yobou? Are you serious?"

In midair.
Completely groggy, Kamijou listened faintly to Kakine’s voice through his hazy consciousness.

With a swift halt, killing all momentum to hover in the sky, Kakine spoke to Kamijou.

"Plans have changed. We’re making a little detour."

Saying that, Kakine slowly shifted their course.
It was only then that Kamijou noticed a distant noise, like some kind of commotion.

"Hey, Kakine! What do you mean by detour? Weren’t we headed to Tokiwadai?"

"Yeah, about that... change of plans. Sorry, Kamijou. Looks like there’s someone I need to crush first."

Someone he had to crush...? Kamijou tilted his head, but Kakine offered no further explanation.

Not wanting to get left behind, Kamijou jogged to catch up with Kakine’s back as he walked on.

"Hold up! You can’t just say that without explaining anything. I can’t accept it like that. And what do you mean by someone you need to crush? Are you planning to attack somebody!?"

"...Hey, hey, that makes me sound like some thug. Do I really look like the kind of bastard who’d pull that kind of stunt?"

Kakine grinned casually as he said it.
Of course, to most bystanders the obvious answer would be "yes," but Kamijou wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. He stared right back into Kakine’s eyes.

Kakine, clearly displeased, averted his gaze.

"...Tch. I got word from one of my people. your acquaintance, Reicia Blackguard’s ex-fiancé—broke out of prison."

"W-What?!"

For Kamijou, that was a bombshell revelation.
And on top of that, Kakine was saying he intended to crush him...

"Wait, wait a second. Escaped?! That bastard Nurikae’s definitely a criminal, but even I know Academy City’s justice system is insanely secure! Someone from the ‘Outside’ breaking through that? That’s gotta be some kind of mistake..."

"‘Legacy.’"

Kakine answered bluntly, then began moving forward again.

The once-stationary nightscape began to flow backward slowly, and the distant commotion steadily drew closer.

"Do I really look like I’ve got so much free time that I’d go out of my way to deal with some run-of-the-mill fugitive? ...The only reason some powerless outsider managed to escape is because there’s involvement from ‘Kihara Gensei’s legacy.’ That much is obvious."

The intel Kakine had received was almost identical to the information Baba had relayed to Reicia.

Thus, Kakine connected the dots between Nurikae and "Kihara Gensei’s legacy," deciding to capture him and use him as a source of information.

Having said that much, Kakine picked up speed again.

"So that’s the situation. Nurikae will be showing up soon... but chances are, he’s equipped with some kind of science. If I show myself head-on, he’ll just use that science to slip away. A chase through the twilight cityscape wouldn’t be the worst thing, but it’d be a pain in the ass."

At that moment, Kamijou suddenly felt a strange sense of weightlessness.

"And so—"

The next thing he noticed was the slow rush of wind from below, and an odd pull of inertia in the wrong direction.

It was like the sensation of leaping into the air—multiplied dozens of times over.

"Uh—"

Then, feeling the frantic flutter of his school uniform, Kamijou finally realized what was happening.

"O-Ooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhh?!?!?!"

High schooler Kamijou Touma—
was plummeting from fifty meters above the nighttime sky.