Chapter 104: The Threat of the Legacy

"What's the situation?"

The first thing Adabana-san asked when we regrouped was that. It seemed information on her side was just as tangled, but unfortunately, we hadn’t gotten anything new since then either. All we knew was that things were only getting worse by the minute.

『News of Nurikae’s jailbreak has already spread even among ordinary Anti-Skill security officers. It seems Nurikae has obtained more military strength than the higher-ups had anticipated… The “underworld” has apparently decided it’s impossible to wrap this up quietly anymore.』

"Tch… Or perhaps, even after this incident is settled, they mean to use Nurikae’s whereabouts as a leash to bind your actions, Blackguard-jou."

"In that case, I’ll cut Nurikae loose."
"Wait, Reicia-chan…"

That remark was so cold that I instinctively stopped Reicia-chan, but she immediately spoke inwardly,

《Idiot. If I don’t say something like that, this conversation will be overheard through that so-called “hoverline underline.” They don’t realize we know they’re eavesdropping. By slipping in a so-called ‘true intention’ here, we can disguise things and drastically change how safe Nurikae remains.》

《…I-I see…》

Th-that makes sense…
So that’s it. Reicia-chan wasn’t just being ruthless—she was already thinking about what really needed to be done to save Nurikae-san. …I can’t just let myself get swept along by events, either. I have to find something—anything—that can actively change this situation!

…But when it comes to materials to change the situation…

The reality was, now that Nurikae-san’s escape had been widely reported in the “public sphere,” things were in a very troublesome state. After all, we’d once stopped Nurikae-san from being executed as a political criminal. And public opinion had already tilted heavily toward hating him back then. We only managed to walk that back with a teary-eyed act and by exposing how someone had cleverly taken him hostage by painting him as a political offender (we were planning to have Gensei-san detained in that same move, but somewhere along the line he got snatched away by the dark side). Thanks to that, the “political criminal” label was withdrawn… but from the public’s perspective, someone they’d already thought of as trash was now going on a jailbreak rampage. This time, it could easily turn into a “See, we told you!!” moment that cements the hatred for Nurikae.

…If we stay tied up in this incident until it finally blows over, we may never recover from the fallout.
…………

"Um."

With resolve, I sent a transmission to Baba-san. Maybe it’s a little underhanded, but…

『What is it?』

"I’d like you to scatter disinformation. Specifically, about the cause of the jailbreak. If we pin it on the Chaotic Release Poltergeist, we could pass it off as a natural-disaster scenario. With evacuation orders and aftershock warnings, wouldn’t that help dampen the bad feelings toward Nurikae Onrei?"

"…I see. As a tactic, it’s viable. However…"

『Yeah. I don’t mind, but even so, public panic from disaster fears will only last for a few hours at most. By the time dawn breaks and people can get a grip on the situation, the real information will have spread. If things aren’t under control by then…』

"Yes. I understand. …Before this night is over, I’ll put an end to everything. And I’ll capture with my own hands the true culprit pulling strings behind the scenes. If I can do that, Nurikae’s name can be cleared, right?"

To stop Nurikae-san, we were always going to have to face the “something” controlling him anyway. And once we beat it, catching it and declaring “This is the real culprit!” wouldn’t be such a bad way to go.

『…However.』

After hearing me out, Baba-san spoke with a somewhat reflective air.

『To hear a suggestion of information warfare coming from Shiren’s mouth… Seems your experience with underhanded methods is leveling up nicely.』

"…Baba, you can already tell the difference between Blackguard-jou’s personalities?"

『…………,』

"It seems Baba too is gaining valuable experience as my partner. How delightful."

『……………………!!!!』

Chapter 3: The Worth of a Soul Is Worthless　Double(Square)_Faith.
Episode 88: The Threat of the Legacy  Angel's_Impact.

──To begin with, Kamijou Touma was currently in free fall from fifty meters above the ground.

And yet, Kamijou’s misfortune did not end there.

The exact spot where he was about to land — his provisional place of death, so to speak — just so happened to be occupied by the infamous escaped convict, Nurikae Onrei.

"────Y-you idiot!?!?"

Locked in a free-fall descent, Kamijou found his gaze clashing with Nurikae’s. Knowing it was futile, he instinctively raised his right hand before him.

Nurikae, focusing his sight on Kamijou plummeting from the night sky, curved his lips into an unsettling grin.

"Na-ru-ho-do. So, the ones who arrived first… are you, Kamijou-kun and your friends."

And then, he unleashed an invisible force.

In the very next moment, Kamijou’s mind raced, thoughts scattering in every direction.

(An ability!? Dodge— impossible! Block it with my right hand!? No— this feeling, something’s different…!)

It was pure instinct — or perhaps it could even be called a primal survival reflex.

Kamijou didn’t try to block the invisible force with his right hand. Instead, he brushed against it, as if stroking its surface, and in one swift motion, gripped its side.

GOGAGAGAGAGIGIGIGIGIGI!!!! A violent, grating noise tore through the air as Kamijou’s body abruptly decelerated, sliding along the edge of the unseen force until he landed safely on the ground.

A narrow escape from certain death.

But at the same time, it proved something chilling — the invisible power Nurikae wielded carried enough output that even Imagine Breaker couldn’t completely erase it.

"…Oh my, oh my. You’ve gotten craftier, haven’t you? So when the output can’t be fully negated, you can at least interfere with it by touching it, huh?"

"You… bastard…"

Nurikae’s tone was cold and analytical, like a scientist dissecting a specimen, calmly observing Kamijou’s ability.

This demeanor — this was nothing like the Nurikae Onrei Kamijou thought he knew.

(The only images I have of this guy are from variety shows tearing him apart or that side profile I saw during the incident… and yet, his power’s output is so high my right hand can’t even negate it completely!?)

Even so, Kamijou didn’t allow himself to panic more than necessary. That was likely thanks to his recent battle with the "Dragon." The destructive force he had faced back then was on an entirely different level.

—Though, truth be told, it was probably just that surviving a near-certain death from a fifty-meter free fall had numbed his sense of fear temporarily. Be that as it may, Kamijou’s mind instantly shifted into calculating his "next move to survive."

Namely—

"──Well, I don’t particularly care about you right now. But, since I’m here anyway, I might as well destroy your ‘Main Plan’ as a little parting gift on my way out."

DOUHHHH!!!!

The Chaotic Liberation Poltergeist Cannon exploded forth, launched at Kamijou without a shred of hesitation. It was likely an attack meant to blow Kamijou’s head clean off. And yet, even though the main strike didn’t hit, the sheer aftershock tore the concrete apart, ripping chunks of it skyward.

Had Kamijou attempted to receive that head-on, his right hand would’ve been useless — overwhelmed by the supernatural force, bones shattered, his entire arm obliterated, his flesh reduced to pinkish pulp.

That’s why Kamijou didn’t foolishly rely on his right hand this time.

"!"

Using every muscle in his body, Kamijou leapt and rolled, diving into the nearest cover.

He thought he had avoided it — only to be slammed from behind by the violent shockwave that followed. The blast struck his back, lifting him slightly, and before he knew it, he was blown forward, crashing headfirst into the ground.

Somehow, he managed to roll upon landing, barely cushioning the impact. Kamijou exhaled sharply, spitting out his frustration along with the pressure crushing his chest.

"Gu…gh! What the hell’s with that power…!? That’s way more intense than even Accelerator’s attacks!?"

"That’s only natural," Nurikae replied casually, his lips still curved in a slight smile. "He may be excellent, but in the end, that’s still individual strength. Compared to the strength of a collective, he still falls short, you see."

At Nurikae’s feet, the aftermath of his previous attack was still plainly visible.

(What the hell… is that…?)

It looked as though someone had taken a mold and carved out a perfect shape — a distorted remnant of the aftermath. Right before Nurikae, a hemispherical crater roughly a meter in diameter had been gouged out of the ground, and from there, a straight line tore forward, ripping the earth apart. …This was far beyond the kind of damage a single person’s "ability" should be capable of producing.

Kamijou hadn’t ever directly clashed head-on with the Chaotic Liberation Poltergeist, but even so, this destructive force was leagues beyond what he had seen before. There was no doubt — the power had evolved drastically.

(If I remember right, that thing’s called the Chaotic Liberation Poltergeist… something about combining multiple abilities into one, wasn’t it? He’s using it like it’s nothing, but to actually operate that thing, there should’ve been a lot of setup involved back then…!)

For example — the Level Upper incident.

By forcibly syncing multiple espers’ brainwaves to match the user’s, it artificially constructed an AIM network, allowing the manipulation of several abilities at once. Back then, the Poltergeist effect was deliberately triggered by intentionally overloading those combined abilities, forcing them into simultaneous discharge.

"Kihara Gensei’s Legacy."
If that’s what was really being used here… then it was highly likely this was the exact same method.

In other words—

(For some reason, the Chaotic Liberation Poltergeist this time has an output my right hand can’t handle… But if I target the earlier stage, before it fuses — the individual "multiple abilities" being combined — my right hand should still be able to erase them!!)

Which meant his objective was clear — close-quarters combat.

"Oh? I see you’ve thought this through," Nurikae said lightly, his tone almost amused. "But are you sure about that? If I recall, in the last battle, wasn’t the Chaotic Liberation Poltergeist being used almost like a convenient little telekinesis, hmm?"

"Don’t bluff," Kamijou shot back, running as he spoke.

"No matter what the power is, the stronger it gets, the harder it is to control. I know that for a fact. Take Reisia, for example — even when she boosted her output by splitting her mind between two personalities, that only worked because she was absurdly skilled and had tons of outside support helping her manage it. …No matter how amazing your science might be, that fundamental rule doesn’t change."

And the proof was right in front of him — Nurikae still hadn’t launched another shot.

It wasn’t pride. It wasn’t arrogance. He simply couldn’t fire again yet.

To unleash an attack strong enough to overwhelm Imagine Breaker without losing control of it entirely required careful preparation. That delay — that setup time — was Kamijou’s opening.

"──Hmph."

Nurikae chuckled softly at that.

"So, if things keep going like this, you’ll successfully avoid my second shot too, Kamijou-kun… And once that happens, I’d be backed into a corner, wouldn’t I? My defeat would be all but guaranteed. …In that case—"

The smile on his face twisted — warped into something ruinous, like that old man’s unhinged grin.

"How troublesome. …If I’m going to be taken down anyway, maybe I should just let a ‘Heaven-Class’ strike go berserk right here and now."

And in the very next instant—

The mass of invisible force swirling before Nurikae’s eyes detonated.