Chapter 130: The First Cry

And so, what greeted us when we arrived was a battlefield so surreal it could have been mistaken for something out of a myth.

"Raaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

The first thing that caught my eye was Mikoto-san, standing at the center of a raging storm of lightning.

She looked like she was wearing Tokiwadai’s winter uniform—or something like it—but parts of it had fused with electricity, forming a robe that fluttered around her like celestial garments. Her bangs were lifted by magnetic force, sprouting into horn-like shapes just as they had during the Daihaseisai. But unlike that time, her eyes remained their normal color, and the light in them was undeniably her own will.

"That’s…"

"Yep. That’s Misaka-san’s new domain power, with me keeping her from going out of control using my ability. I like to call it Electromaster Phase: Next."

Shokuhou-san, who had stepped out from the “cradle” of the Rift after our arrival, explained smugly.

She had already given us a rough idea while we were on the move. By deliberately giving the Misaka Network a certain direction, just like during the Daihaseisai, it became possible to channel immense power into Mikoto-san. The burden this placed on her was reduced with a support package Shokuhou-san had slipped into the Network at the same time, which also prevented her from going berserk. That was the plan. Of course, that alone wasn’t enough. Shokuhou herself had to join the battlefield and directly use her powers on Mikoto to complete the fighting force.

"But really, the moment you brought me into this battlefield, victory was practically decided."

"…Why? From here, Misaka and the Doppelgänger look about evenly matched. A little power-up doesn’t seem like enough to tip the balance completely. Even if you, Reicia, or I joined in."

What Touma-san said wasn’t wrong. If victory was just a matter of adding up strength, then sure, we’d already have won. But that’s not how it works. Mikoto is flesh and blood, unlike the Doppelgänger, so fatigue will degrade her performance. On top of that, since we also had to protect Shokuhou, our movements would inevitably be restricted.

And there was still Amata. We’d heard reports that Hokaze and the others had taken him down, but apparently he hadn’t lost consciousness. There was no way Amata would have died just from the aftershocks of Micro Bravenge’s fight. In other words, he could’ve already recovered and rejoined the battlefield. With that in mind, it felt premature to say victory was secured…

"Because we’ve already won the tug-of-war, haven’t we?"

Beep.

Right after saying that, Shokuhou aimed her remote at Mikoto.

CLANGGGG!!! An unnatural sound like the gears of the world coming undone boomed across the battlefield.

I instinctively looked up. The black, crackling lightning that had split the sky had multiplied, now more than double what it had been.

This is…

"The Doppelgänger isn’t generating that electric power on her own. All she’s doing is acting as a ‘vent’ for Misaka-san’s ability. That’s why Misaka’s powers weakened for a while, remember? Which means, now that Misaka has boosted her interference with the Misaka Network through Electromaster Phase: Next, and with my direct assistance—"

Before she could finish, Mikoto unleashed a burst of lightning brighter than anything so far.

The Doppelgänger, darting through the sky, couldn’t dodge in time and was struck head-on. Half of the shining robe she wore was blown apart, leaving only a charred, blackened slime-like cloak clinging to her body.

"Hmph… a tug-of-war, is it. So, Mental Out has already joined the fight…"

"Honestly, if it weren’t for this situation, I’d rather not have to rely on her help."

The outcome was now nearly decided. If the output of power had already been fixed by the tug-of-war, then the Doppelgänger was effectively neutralized. Even if Amata reappeared, Amata versus Electromaster Phase: Next Mikoto, plus Shokuhou, plus Touma, plus us—there was no contest.

So that’s what Shokuhou meant. From here, the battle itself was basically settled. The only thing left was—

BOOOOM!!!

As I was thinking about our next move, an explosion suddenly erupted right beside the battlefield. Compared to the scale of Mikoto and the Doppelgänger’s fight it was small, but that wasn’t what caught our eyes.

What truly mattered was what had exploded there.

"That’s… an airship…!?"

What stood before us was the wreckage of a massive airship.

Its body, originally H-shaped, had snapped clean in half on impact with the ground. Countless parts of all sizes were scattered across the area. The fact it hadn’t gone up in flames was almost strange, but in that condition, there was no hope of ever restoring its original function.

And we knew. That was the stealth airship we had earlier sensed in full through wind detection.

The Doppelgänger glanced sideways at the wreck and murmured, almost wistfully,

"…So, my First Wish… was not to be. Still, my goal has been achieved."

And then, in response to her muttering—

"Hey, you puppet cyborg!!"

A man’s voice rang out.

It was far too rough to be that of a researcher, vulgar and vicious enough that one might mistake him for some thug at first listen. But to us, it carried an omen as dire as the end of the world itself.

That man—

He was at the crash site, somehow standing unscathed atop the wreckage. Which meant—he had just brought down the stealth airship with his own hands and survived without a scratch.

The tattooed researcher, his hair spiked up and dyed gold, sneered at the Doppelgänger and said:

"I’ve fulfilled my part of the deal. Now hurry up and become my lab rat."

And with that command from Kihara Amata—

The final “worst case” of this night let out its first cry.

Chapter 3: The Worth of a Soul Is Worthless — Double(Square)_Faith.
Episode 104: The First Cry — Her_Awaken.

"Hey, you little punks. Ever heard of the term ‘Internal Evolution: Ideal’? Ah, Fifth-ranked, you must know it, right? After all, it was one of your old playground games."

"………."

We no longer had the luxury of reacting to such obvious provocation.

Because the black storm clouds Misaka-san’s Electromaster Phase = Next had formed were being pierced open like a whirlpool, and from that opening, some kind of ‘power’ was being sucked straight into Doppelganger-san.

"Well, you’ve at least heard of it before. Yeah, that’s right. It’s a shabby little plan: apply Indian Poker to teach an esper their own unique ‘personal reality,’ reshape it again and again, and eventually forge the ‘ideal ability.’"

…That, we knew.

We’d even seen the old research documents ourselves and knew the gist of the project. But… what Amata-san is doing isn’t that one.

What he’s executing is closer to the plan Mitsuari-san attempted just recently: connecting the AIM diffusion field network generated by Indian Poker to the Astral Buddy, twisting the collective AIM diffusion field in a certain direction… and trying to create the ‘ideal ability’ from it.

And how do I know?

"Well, that alone ain’t enough to reach a stable Level 6. As far as academic value goes, it’s worth less than trash. But unlucky for you, I’m a vulgar man with no interest in academic prestige."

That was—

"So I figured, might as well ‘inherit’ it. Including the old geezer Gensei’s stuff, too."

—Because the ‘materials’ to pull it off were right here.

"You… don’t tell me! You took the AIM diffusion field Kihara Gensei had gathered for his Poltergeist experiment…!?"

That system had been far more versatile than the original Internal Evolution: Ideal. It could even produce phenomena according to the operator’s will. In fact, during that incident, it had caused the miracle of awakening Yuuri Senya-san from her coma.

If Amata-san knows all that, then his self-deprecating talk about being a "vulgar man" makes sense. After all, being able to make any phenomenon happen is just another way of saying "omnipotence."

"Tch, not exactly worth being shocked over. If it was tuned to that old geezer’s brainwaves, all I had to do was run it through some external converters or whatever until I could use it myself. Less than ten minutes of tinkering—barely even a Sunday DIY project."

Naturally, Amata-san tapped his own neck with a finger.

There, just like Accelerator-san, a choker-like device was attached.

"From there, it’s simple. Use Doppelganger, fight Gensei, and fine-tune the AIM diffusion field’s motion through battle. You brats already know the example of how a ‘macro flow’ of repeated combat can interfere with the ‘micro phenomenon’ of one’s personal reality, right? That’s the so-called ‘Level 6 Shift Project.’"

…If he really hijacked the AIM diffusion field Gensei had once controlled, then yes, he could force a certain vector across the entire network.

And if he designates Doppelganger-san as its output vessel, then she becomes the vessel for the Ideal Ability itself………!!!

"Behold—the fourth form. From ‘Imitation Possession,’ to ‘Colossal Weapon,’ to the ‘Usurped Thunder God,’ and now something that’ll even make Byouri-chan faint in shock. Enjoy it, Level 5 espers."

There was no sound.

From every inch of Doppelganger-san’s body, white, slime-mold-like masses sprouted and stretched, swelling like a vast tree.

And soon—it shaped itself into one gigantic brain.

"Th-that’s… Exterior!?"

Seeing it, Shokuhou-san was the first to cry out.

I didn’t know what that meant, but… this time, he’d ‘inherited’ one of Shokuhou-san’s related technologies!?

"You still can’t create the source of abilities artificially. But a brain to control them? That can be ‘mechanized’ as much as you want. Like this!!"

Shwooom!!

A blade of telekinetic force, dragging even the sand with it, tore toward us in an instant.

Most likely—if not for Misaka-san’s spear of lightning, neither hastily formed ‘cracks’ nor Kamijou-san’s right hand would’ve been enough to block it. That one strike alone could have shredded everyone’s bodies in half.

"…Listen closely, Blackguard-san."

And then—

From behind, the one we were shielding, Shokuhou-san, called out to us.

"………What is this? I was just about to shift into high-speed flight, you know."

"Then all the more reason you need to hear me now!! Once I’m in high-speed flight, there’s no way I can spare any brainpower for explanations!!"

Shokuhou-san’s voice carried an almost desperate urgency. …Ah, so flying together is a given. Well, of course. In this situation, if she got tossed out here with only her body, there’d be nothing left for her but death…

"…Listen. The Ideal Ability is definitely powerful. But that’s exactly why it carries the risk of runaway. Unless it’s constantly being activated, the built-up energy could explode. Back during the previous incident, they avoided that risk by reproducing Rampage Dress—a system that allowed for continuous operation…"

…But now, there’s no sign of that at all. Which means, under normal circumstances, it should already be running wild.

And yet, it isn’t. Which strongly suggests that somewhere—somewhere we can’t see—there’s some ability constantly in effect. That telekinetic blade earlier may have been nothing more than a side effect of it.

"Most likely, that’s the reason for forming that giant brain. The slime mold Doppelganger normally manipulates doesn’t have that level of durability or computing power. If it’s carrying out that kind of calculation load, then a huge portion of its resources are being poured into that reinforcement. And of course, that won’t be the end of it either."

"…………."

That brain—painstakingly crafted—is without a doubt the core of Doppelganger-san’s current enhancements.

A function that sustains its power, the very root of the enemy’s strength. …Now I see. With everything she’s told us, the strategy we need to take is obvious. Reicia-chan, too, seemed to catch on to Shokuhou-san’s point.

"So basically… we just have to get Kamijou Touma safely delivered into that brain, right?"

"As expected of a ‘kindred spirit.’ Your comprehension really is a lifesaver."

《Kindred spirit? Don’t lump me together with you. I’m nowhere near as wicked as you are…》

《Come on now, Reicia-chan…》

Probably, she meant "kindred spirit" in the sense of being someone who also loves Touma-san…

…N-no no no! That was just Shokuhou-san’s interpretation, okay!? It doesn’t mean I love him!! Not saying I don’t, just… I don’t know yet!!

"…I’ve been trying to control that mad scientist’s head directly, but it looks like he’s got some kind of protection against my ability. Since I sent that message before, he must’ve figured out my ‘recipe’… So honestly, all I can do now is support Misaka-san. I’ll leave my safety to you, Blackguard-san."

"Leave it to me. I swear, we’ll all make it out alive!!"

With those words, I synchronized my breathing with Misaka-san and unfolded the ‘Fissures.’

The cracks we aimed at that massive brain were naturally blocked by walls of telekinesis, but even so, for that one instant, Doppelganger-san was forced into the defensive.

We seized that moment, used the Fissures to secure Shokuhou-san, and shot into the sky.

"～～～～～～～～～!?!"

Already behind us, Shokuhou-san let out an inhuman scream, but we deliberately ignored it.

We’ll settle this quickly… so please hang on, Shokuhou-san!!

That said—there wasn’t much I could do myself. Storms, rubble, debris… all of it would likely be twisted aside by Doppelganger-san’s telekinesis. And once that happened, any "secondary phenomena" born from it would be outside the reach of Imagine Breaker—and would put Touma-san’s life directly at risk.

In other words, our only viable offense in this battle was to use direct attacks through the Fissures.

Well——not that Jagged Edge is so weak that we’d be forced into a hopeless stalemate!!!!

Whooooshhhh!!!

From behind us, the Fissures burst forth at maximum output—ninety-eight in total. They soared high into the sky, then rained down like arrows toward the brain looming behind Doppelganger-san.

"A diversion? Something this small isn’t even worth dedicating resources to…"

In response, Doppelganger-san spread a telekinetic roof overhead, blocking the downpour.

…Just as I thought. In this state, she couldn’t maneuver with the high-speed mobility she’d shown earlier. She had to move defensively to guard that brain.

And the fact that she bothered creating a "roof" for defense meant that the brain itself wasn’t shielded directly by telekinesis. She could have, which would’ve been safer—but maybe it needed constant exposure to the outside air, or maybe its functions conflicted if overlaid with other abilities… Whatever the case, it was good news for us.

"Diversion? No. This is one move that will steadily cut away your defenses!!"

Immediately, from the mass of ninety-eight Fissures, the magical hands we’d hidden stretched out—silent, colorless, unseen.

—Fissures, capable of even cutting through light. They boast impressive durability, but they aren’t a strict upgrade over invisible Fissures.

Invisible Fissures excel at stealth, and——

"How about this!!"

"…Invisible Fissures, huh? Did you think I wouldn’t anticipate that?"

Bang-gang-gaganga-gagagagan!!!

The transparent Fissures were blocked by the invisible wall. They tried to burrow underground, refusing to give up—but telekinesis anticipated them, completely restraining the Fissures before they could escape.

"…Invisible Fissures aren’t useless, you know. They conduct electricity, after all."

Bzzt!

Misaka-san, who had deliberately held back, unleashed full power. A spear of lightning formed in her hand.

If she sent it at Doppelganger-san—these Fissures, powerless against light or electricity, would be bypassed, striking the brain directly.

Right now, Doppelganger-san was devoting her resources to restraining the Fissures. With this two-pronged strategy, we might not completely destroy her, but we could damage the brain enough to create an opening for Touma-san to get close—!!

"Hey, hey, thinking that’s enough for checkmate? You’re seriously underestimating Kihara, aren’t you?"

Pyuui!

At that, Amata lightly whistled.

I realized my mistake immediately.

《Damn it! Of course—Amata can control airflow with just a whistle—!!》

At once, the currents slipped from our hands.

"Wh-wait—!!"

It was no wonder Shokuhou-san panicked behind us.

Our fall trajectory, now uncontrolled, headed straight into Misaka-san’s line of fire—

《Zah! The debris matter—!!》

…No, this won’t do. Using the debris was our only option, but doing so would create heavy objects Touma-san couldn’t cancel with Imagine Breaker. It would be 100% counterproductive.

I-I don’t have any other way to survive this…!?

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

In that moment of hesitation, what we saw was Reicia-chan’s spiky head darting fully between us and Misaka-san.

"……!!"

For an instant, I almost shouted that it was hopeless—but I forced myself to suppress it. At first glance, she seemed to be risking herself to protect us—but I noticed a subtle difference.

Her arm moved as if ready to catch Misaka-san’s lightning spear like a baton, poised and precise.

"……!! Geez, you’re always like this…!! It’s such a rush-job, not nearly precise enough!!"

Shokuhou-san, using her remote, activated Mental Out to psychically manipulate Touma-san’s brain.

She must have sensed his intentions as well. Then all that remained for me—and for us—was to do exactly what we were supposed to do…!!

Dohhh!!!

From behind, a massive wave of black-and-white Fissures erupted, striking at both Doppelganger-san and Amata. Naturally, every single one was blocked—but the stage was set!! The path—was complete!!

With a strong push off the ground, Touma-san leapt.

It was a perfect jump, the kind of flawless motion only a top athlete could achieve—not something an ordinary high school student could manage.

Misaka-san’s lightning spear struck his hand—but it couldn’t be fully countered. Still, by hitting Touma-san’s right hand, its trajectory was twisted.

The bent lightning spear then skidded across the surfaces of the black-and-white Fissures we had created—Fissures capable of repelling electricity—and its path was further twisted and redirected.

This was the coordinated move we had just devised.

With Shokuhou-san’s support, the angle of the spear’s reflection was finely adjusted, then the Fissures caused it to scatter even further.

Moreover, with the Fissures obscuring vision, neither Amata nor Doppelganger-san could see the source of the attack. The fact that Amata had gone out of his way to take us as hostages meant that, under these circumstances, Doppelganger-san could not block Misaka-san’s strike.

Now that their defenses were neutralized—!!

"…Whoa, seriously? This is completely unexpected."

The Fissures, having served their purpose, silently dissolved into the air.

Zubachiiiii!!!

Misaka-san’s lightning pierced through Doppelganger-san’s final defenses.