Chapter 11: I’ll Break That Illusion

The operation was scheduled to begin at exactly midnight.

The location: the same place where Kamijou had first encountered Kanzaki and the others. The heart of District 7’s downtown—right in the center of a four-lane roadway. Though flanked by buildings on either side, the sky overhead was wide open. Thanks to the "People-Clearing" spell, no civilians would be present.

That meant no one else would get caught up in this mess.

Besides, we couldn’t let Komoe-sensei’s apartment get blown to pieces again.

As the plan was finalized, we gathered around Index and began analyzing what exactly her "collar" was—what would happen if it were destroyed.

“If Index does have a ‘collar,’ I doubt everything will just end when it’s broken. It’s safe to assume there’s a failsafe designed to eliminate whoever destroys it.”

“Most likely, the collar’s defense mechanism will tap into the full power of the 103,000 grimoires and attempt to annihilate the threat. However, just because the grimoires are formidable doesn’t mean the control system itself is flawless. The first strike will be tailored specifically to exploit the weakness of the ability user who breaks the collar—meaning you.”

“…Which also means there’s an opening to be exploited. Because the spell is laser-focused on neutralizing Kamijou-san’s Imagine Breaker, it might be possible for me, Kanzaki-san, or Stiyl-san to take it on.”

“But even then, we don’t know how long we can stall it.”

“If I can touch Index again before that time’s up, then it’s all over. That’s the plan, right?”

We carefully reviewed each and every condition.

Unlike the version of history I know, Index still had about a week left. That allowed us the mental breathing room to carefully verify everything.

“…Thinking in terms of a failsafe put in place by the Church, I’d say the spell used by the ‘John’s Pen Mode’ almost certainly includes a directive to completely erase my memories if I lose control.”

“…Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”

“If they could simply install a failsafe that wipes my memory the moment I go rogue, they wouldn’t need us at all. They could just say it’s her ‘condition’ and nobody would question it.”

“…Which means there should be some kind of warning sign.”

“If that’s the case, I can kill it with my right hand.”

Everything was falling into place to give us the best chance of saving her.

“I’ve touched Index’s body many times before. The spell causing her pain probably isn’t in a place people normally touch.”

“Wait, hold up. You’ve touched her body?”

“There was nothing indecent about it. I was there the whole time. …Also, I don’t believe it’s anywhere on her skin. I’ve helped her wipe down before, so I’ve checked.”

“G-Gghh…”

“Then where is it?”

“…Probably inside her mouth.”

It was Index herself—the person most directly involved—who offered that conclusion.

“Because of the skull, the distance between the mouth and the brain is shorter than from the top of the head. Many familiar-related spells are embedded there. If I had to choose a place for the spell, that’s the most likely.”

And so—

All the conditions were laid out.

The preparations to save Index were complete.

Index opened her mouth wide, letting us see inside.

The eyes of all four of us locked onto her. Index’s cheeks flushed slightly—but…

“……………………………………”

None of us had the emotional room to smile at her embarrassment.

Deep in the red-black flesh, far from sight and closest to the brain—an ominous, pitch-black emblem was inscribed. It looked just like something etched in a wicked sorcerer’s workshop.

“We’ve found our answer.”

Stiyl stood.

“So too, our purpose.”

Kanzaki reached for her sword.

“We’re ready.”

I focused on the ‘power’ that surged within me.

“——Index. Are you ready?”

Kamijou extended his right hand.

“…Yeah. Please, Touma. …Everyone. For an ending where we can all smile.”

With those words, Index—

“Sla-sh me—k-ill—me.”

Opened her mouth wide.

“You idiot. I’m not killing you.”

Kamijou smiled faintly and added,

“It’s the bullshit illusion system from some bastard god, thinking we’d go along with this garbage script.”

He plunged his right hand forward.

Like a young king reaching for a holy sword.

And then—

CRASH!!!! A sound like something shattering into countless pieces echoed as Kamijou was blasted backward.

But surely, in that moment, Kamijou had taken hold of something.

Something as precious as a royal seal.

---

Chapter 1: I Don’t Care About Predetermined Outcomes
Theory_is_broken.

Chapter 8: I’ll Break That Illusion
Imagine_Breaker.

---

“——Warning. Chapter 3, Section 2. Index-Librorum-Prohibitorum—Index’s ‘collar’: penetration of seals one through three confirmed. Regeneration… failed.”

Just after Kamijou was blown away, Index visibly changed.

Kanzaki appeared behind the airborne Kamijou in a flash and caught him mid-air.

“Urgh… That hurt…”

“Get a grip. You’re the core of this operation.”

“Yeah, well, that kind of explosion wasn’t in the forecast.”

Still, Kamijou’s eyes never left Index.

Her eyes now glowed bright red.

Clearly not her natural color.

A grotesque pentagram, red as blood, glowed deep within them.

“…That’s the ‘collar.’ Now that I think of it, we did see her like this back at Komoe-sensei’s place.”

Reicia and Stiyl stepped back to Kamijou’s side a moment later.

Their job was to support him. Only Kamijou’s right hand could stop Index in that state. Getting closer served no purpose.

As the four of us looked on, Index—or rather, “John’s Pen Mode”—began to speak in a whisper.

“Self-repair of collar… impossible. Three enemy combatants detected. Beginning battlefield scan… complete. For protection of 103,000 grimoires, priority given to intercepting highest-threat enemy combatant: ‘Kamijou Touma.’”

“So that’s… what’s been tormenting her all this time.”

Stiyl slowly spread both arms.

He had spent the past three days preparing his runes. During the apartment fight, Innocentius, King of Witch-Hunters, had been pinned by targeting the delay in his regeneration. But this time, Stiyl had laid far more widespread and numerous runes to boost output.

He had prepared everything so that even if Reicia’s ability hit him, he could keep regenerating without trouble.

But that wasn’t what this magic was really for. That wasn’t why he had sharpened his power.

Now, finally, he could use it in the way he’d always wished to—

To protect the girl he loved.

“——Beginning reverse-calculation of damage-causing spell based on the 103,000 grimoires in the ‘Library’… failed. No matching spell found. Constructing localized anti-intrusion magic weapon.”

“…Now that I think about it, I never got an answer.”

Kamijou grinned fearlessly.

“Why don’t you have any magic power when you’re not even an esper?”

That was the root cause.

John’s Pen Mode.

To operate it, all of Index’s magic power had been drained. She hadn’t been able to build up any magical energy for herself.

“John’s Pen Mode” tilted its head in slow, mechanical motion—like a machine just barely ticking along.

---

"――――I have successfully configured the most effective sorcery against the intruder. Now initiating designated sorcery: Sanctuary of Saint George. Commencing elimination of the intruder."

With a deafening bish, bishbishbishbishbish!!!, the pentagrams—no, the magic circles—carved into both eyes of John’s Pen the Automatic Scribe expanded all at once.

Two magic circles, as if projected by laser into the air, spread out, partially overlapping.

They appeared to be synchronized with the movements of John’s Pen’s eyes, trembling faintly each time her head swayed like a ghost.

And then—

"　　　.　　　　　、"

The moment John’s Pen the Automatic Scribe chanted something beyond human hearing—

A black crack split open in the air before her.

From within it—

As the crack pulsed and bulged, in the next instant――――

“Ah. A, AOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

GWOOM!!! From deep inside the crack, a pillar of light burst out horizontally.

When it struck Kamijou’s right hand, it was met with a thunderous GOSSSHHHHHHIIIIINNNN!!! as he barely managed to block it.

But Kamijou didn’t escape unscathed.

To prevent his right hand from being blown away by the light, he had to hold it down with his left. Moving was out of the question.

And that wasn’t all.

The light was beginning to eat away at Kamijou’s right hand, bit by bit.

(Wh-What is this…!? Each of these light particles feels like it’s made of something entirely different!?)

This light was likely composed of the original texts of grimoires stored in her mind.

A massive compilation of 103,000 grotesque Illegal Laws—Kamijou’s right hand couldn’t keep up with processing it all.

"――――Dragon Breath, the deathblow of the Dragon King! Her 103,000 grimoires are specifically designed to exploit the weakness of your ability!"

With that, Stiyl sprang into action.

Behind him, a towering giant made of flame and heavy oil was summoned.

"――Innocentius, King of the Witch Hunts!! Prove here and now why my name is the strongest!!"

The flaming giant dove in between Kamijou and the pillar of light.

John’s Pen the Automatic Scribe swung her head to kill Kamijou first, taking the entire pillar of light with her. But just as quickly, Innocentius chased her down, intercepting the attack route.

Bathed in the light, the flame giant began to melt like sugar art—but just as quickly, he regenerated, regaining his humanoid form.

John’s Pen the Automatic Scribe had a weakness.

One predicted by Reicia and the others—the decision-making function of John’s Pen, arguably more AI than human, served as the final defensive wall protecting Index. It was likely too precise.

Indeed, she wielded the knowledge of 103,000 grimoires and used it to analyze enemy sorcery. The fact that she could even deduce an optimal solution to Kamijou’s right hand—which wasn’t even magic—showed that this superiority extended beyond sorcery.

She could strike with unrelenting cruelty, cold precision, and merciless accuracy at the one move her enemy most dreaded.

But at the same time, that was all she could do.

She was optimized solely to counter whatever obstacle stood before her, deploying the single worst move for her opponent.

So the solution was to deploy personnel sequentially.

Deploy them all at once, and they’d all be analyzed and countered together. But by introducing them one by one—those capable of producing actions outside of her optimal solutions—they could buy time.

If Kamijou’s right hand was countered, then use Stiyl’s runes. If the runes were countered, then use Kanzaki’s steel wires. If the wires were countered, then Reicia’s abilities.

That was the strategy Reicia and the others chose—to stall for time until Kamijou could kill the illusion.

John’s Pen the Automatic Scribe began chanting without pause against Stiyl’s sorcery.

"――Warning, Chapter 22, Verse 1. Reversal of flame-based sorcery completed. Identified as rune inscriptions based on distorted Christian doctrine motifs. Counter-Christianity sorcery being compiled… First Rite, Second Rite, Third Rite. Designated as: My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? Eli, Eli, Lema Sabachthani. Full deployment in 12 seconds."

Then, before their eyes, the pillar of light turned blood red.

A sorcery designed to counter Christianity.

The final, despairing cry supposedly uttered by the invincible Son of God at his end—a curse that denied all Christian faith at its very core.

Bathed in that ruinous light, the once-immortal Innocentius began to disintegrate without regeneration.

"Tch…! So that’s the Index Librorum Prohibitorum for you…!"

"Well done. Now it’s my turn!"

As the gritting magician retreated, a golden-haired, blue-eyed lady leapt forth.

From her right hand, a transparent crack shot toward the ground beneath John’s Pen.

"――Warning, Chapter 36, Verse 9. Detected minute mana disturbance from severing the earth nearby. Potential risk to Index’s physical body."

Of course, Reicia had no intent of harming Index.

But John’s Pen’s decision-making function would still react earnestly to any imminent threat.

"――Beginning reverse computation of sorcery using all 103,000 volumes in the ‘Library’… Failure. No corresponding sorcery found. Analyzing spell structure to construct designated countermeasure: Local Weapon against attacker."

Just then, as the crack slashed through the ground at Index’s feet—

"――Identified: attack severs elemental linkage of the four classical elements. At this moment, effect does not extend to all four elements, dimensions, or phases.――――Successful configuration of the most effective sorcery against the individual attacker. Now deploying priority-designated sorcery: Sanctuary Sleeping in Golgotha."

In that moment, the cracks that had been spreading suddenly stopped dead.

The white-black jagged cracks of Jaggid Edge, something no modern substance could halt, froze completely.

And yet, even with her one-of-a-kind ability neutralized, Reicia didn’t panic in the slightest. Her role had already been fulfilled.

Because this very sorcery had caused Sanctuary of Saint George to falter—if only for a moment.

"Kanzaki-san, you’re ready, aren’t you!?"

"Of course! At any moment!"

With that, Kanzaki sprang into action.

"My wish is just one—"

Hand on her sword, Kanzaki shouted out her hidden resolve.

"To extend salvation to the unsaved—Salvare000!!!!"

The wind—or rather, what seemed to be wind—was in fact countless steel threads disguised in motion, weaving a complex magic circle.

The sorcery they formed blasted away the ground beneath John’s Pen, which Reicia had already sliced apart.

With her footing shattered, John’s Pen was forced to look straight up. Her crimson beam lanced skyward. Somewhere, it grazed the wall of a building—fsshhh—and there was the feeble sound of vaporization.

It tore the sky, shattered the clouds――――and pierced even the heavens.

But.

That very gap became Kamijou’s greatest opportunity.

Step by step, Kamijou advanced toward John’s Pen the Automatic Scribe—no, toward the girl imprisoned within it.

All that had unfolded now converged into this outcome.

Like a taut rubber band snapping back into place.

(…God.)

Kamijou stretched his fingers wide.

(If this story—this world—is moving just the way You, God, designed it to, with Your system of miracles, then――――)

Like he was striking with the heel of his palm—

(――――Then I’ll shatter that illusion first!!)

---

You’ve got to be kidding me…!

In that moment, I was frozen in horror.

Because I’d planned it so this wouldn’t happen. I thought I’d removed the danger. I was sure of it.

…But there was one thing.

One fact I never told Kamijou and the others.

The true reason I devised this plan.

Helping Stiyl and Kanzaki rebuild their relationship with Index—that wasn’t a lie. That really was part of it. It was true that I wanted to create a future where they could all move forward.

But that wasn’t all.

I didn’t want Kamijou Touma to die.

Knowing a future of destruction awaited, I couldn’t just watch my friend walk into it.

…That was the real reason behind this entire operation.

I didn’t choose Komoe-sensei’s apartment. I picked an open outdoor space. Sure, that reduced potential collateral damage, but more importantly, it was about the nature of Dragon Breath, the deathblow of the Dragon King.

Dragon Breath had a terrifying trait: anything it pierced, it transformed into “white feathers that destroy memory.”

…Not that the novel ever spelled it out that clearly.

But I remembered. The scene stuck with me. The moment Dragon Breath destroyed the ceiling in Komoe-sensei’s home, it turned into white feathers.

If that happened here, it’d be over. Kamijou would throw himself completely into saving Index. He’d try to shield her from the endless “white feathers,” and in doing so, he’d let his own guard down.

That’s why we chose to fight outside――――

――――So why the hell are those white feathers raining down on Kamijou’s head!?

I scanned the area instinctively… and then I saw it.

Up above. A section of a nearby building… torn open by Dragon Breath.

…Too naïve. I’d been too damn naïve…!

Thinking about it now, it should’ve been obvious. Dragon Breath follows the line of Index’s sight. In the novel, it only affected a “ceiling,” something nearby, so its trajectory didn’t matter as much. But outdoors? That changed everything.

If Index was knocked over and her line of sight was forced upward, her gaze would naturally dart around.

Is it even possible that her vision didn’t land on that building, even for a split second?

…No. It’s not.

And just because I screwed that up—what, I’m supposed to give up now?

Like hell I am!

“Damn it! Like hell I’m letting it end like this!!”

I pulled together every last “crack” I had at full speed.

In my mind, I heard Semeumi-san’s voice again.

“If you apply it right, you might be able to manipulate air currents.”

I’d asked her how.

“It’s simple. Arrange the ‘cracks’ in an accordion-like shape… or just layer them. That creates a vacuum zone in the space. Overlapping surfaces forms a three-dimensional volume. And when you release it—air rushes in. If you calculate the amount and direction of the incoming air, you can produce a wind with the exact force and trajectory you want.”

Yeah, it was a brute-force solution. It would take absurdly precise calculations. Without a single trial run, trying this in the middle of a fight? Insane. The rational part of me screamed don’t do it.

But in the world without me, Kamijou died.

So what about this time?

Is Kamijou Touma going to die again, just like before? Nothing changed, same outcome?

…No. I refuse to accept that.

I don’t give a damn about fate or balance or any of that.

Even if it’s insane—even if it kills me—I’m doing it. Because if I don’t, Kamijou dies!!

If I need something to make it happen, I’ll grab whatever I can. I’ll push through the impossible.

Not to protect some superhero Kamijou Touma—

But to protect my friend!!

“KAMIJOUUUUUUUU!!!”

I unleashed the folded “cracks” all at once.

Instantly, the expelled air rushed back in, forming the exact shape I’d envisioned, and just like I’d calculated, it produced a roaring gale.

The wind surged directly toward Kamijou—right on target.

And then.

And then.

And then―――――

---

"If memories don't remain in the brain, then where exactly do you think they remain in a human?"

"Where? Well, isn't it obvious? ———In the heart, of course."

……………………。

The next day.

I was standing in front of the hospital room.

On the way here, I passed by Index, who was storming off in a huff. Which probably meant that situation had resolved itself somehow.

Kamijou Touma is dead.

I had already come to terms with that. My heart had… accepted it.

…………The storm I created worked.

It wasn’t strong enough to blow a person away, but it should’ve been powerful enough to send something as light as a feather flying — far enough not to reach Kamijou.

But I overlooked something.

That white feather was a product of magic.

Just because it appeared to be falling didn’t mean it obeyed ordinary physical laws.

It was, after all, the final piece of magic forming Index’s collar.

It was a high-grade, super-dreadnought level magical artifact — the kind that only Kamijou’s right hand might have been able to cancel out. There was no way something like a stray blast of esper power could oppose it.

……And yet, I didn’t even realize that.

The storm that raged had only made Kamijou stagger slightly. The wind, being a physical phenomenon, couldn’t touch the white feather, which was magical in nature, and so — Kamijou, smiling at Index to the very end, was bathed in those feathers… and died.

……………………I should have known that would happen.

Just then, the hospital room door slid open, and the doctor who’d been speaking with Kamijou earlier — Heaven Canceller — stepped out.

"……Well now, long time no see. It’s not your appointment day yet… are you here to visit this room?"

"I am. Is something the matter?"

"I was wondering if you might’ve overheard something, that’s all."

"Haa… I’m afraid I have no idea what you mean."

I shrugged.

"Judging from how that child looked, it seems she's at least doing fine, and that’s all that matters."

I said that, brushing past Heaven Canceller.

"Aah. And you too, seem to be doing fine, and that’s all that matters."

"…………"

I thought I was acting calm, but he probably noticed. With someone like him, it’s scary how sharp he can be. He’s known me since before I was hospitalized — if he’s paying attention, he could probably tell my whole personality’s changed.

"…………Ah."

When I stepped into the hospital room, Kamijou flinched.

He looked… a little uneasy.

"…………"

"Uh, ah— I-it’s… been a while?"

Kamijou said that in a testing tone.

The way he acted… it definitely wasn’t the Kamijou Touma I knew.

He was far more transparent — like a boy meeting me for the first time.

"…………"

Of course, I am not Index, to Kamijou.

Even if Kamijou lost his memory, that’s not enough to make me break. As a friend, I grieve his death, but my heart won’t shatter because of it.

And on Kamijou’s side, he probably doesn’t feel much hesitation toward me either.

So yes, there is a choice here — to realize, here and now, that Kamijou has amnesia, and to become his ‘understanding friend.’

And perhaps that’s my responsibility, for being one of the reasons this all happened ———,

…………No. No more excuses.

Yes, this would just be an excuse. The one who failed wants to help the Kamijou who lost his memories — not out of kindness, but just to ease the guilt of ‘knowing what would happen and still failing to protect him.’

But someone acting on those kinds of feelings has no business trying to help Kamijou.

Kamijou has the strength to overcome this on his own. To remove the trials that stand before someone capable of overcoming them — that isn’t always the right thing to do. That kind of behavior is exactly what I rejected in Stiyl, Kanzaki, and Index.

———Besides, this body belongs to Reicia-chan.

I’m nothing more than a lingering shadow, destined to vanish eventually.

Once things return to normal, I can’t choose an option that would force the ‘burden’ of being Kamijou Touma’s understanding friend onto Reicia-chan.

Know your place, Raimida Shiren.

This is the crossroads.

My ultimate mission is to help a girl who’s lost the will to live, to stand up again.

Anything more than this would betray that mission.

So it’s time — time to say goodbye.

Accept it.

Kamijou Touma is dead.

"…………………………Um,"

"……No no no. I was just, you know, thinking how amazing it is that we both managed to survive."

……I think the smile on my face was a natural one.

And so, I said goodbye in my heart to the first friend I made in this world — and spoke:

"But really, ‘long time no see’? That’s rather cold of you. Wasn’t it just yesterday? …Still, I’m glad you’re doing well, my dear comrade."