Chapter 151: And Now, We Arrive Here
"How about a little greeting, Dark Matter of the Imaginary Number District?"
"I'm Kakine Teitoku. While you're busy making a fool of yourself, why don’t you start getting ready to scream, General Chairman?"
At that moment, the three pairs of wings on Kakine Teitoku’s back spread wide.
BOOOOM!!!
A storm imbued with over ten thousand twisted laws roared forward, surging straight for Aleister—
—but.
"Unfortunately, that barely qualifies as a greeting."
KRAAASH!!!
A pillar of light descended from the heavens, slamming into the storm head-on. In an instant, the ten thousand warped laws were scattered like dust.
"...What the hell?"
Kakine’s brow furrowed in disbelief.
Put into words, it might sound like nothing more than a lethal gale. But the storm he unleashed carried countless distorted laws, reshaped by the Dark Matter of the Imaginary Number District. Under ordinary physics, even brushing against the aftershocks should have warped any property beyond recognition.
Neutralizing it outright was unthinkable. It wasn’t just an attack—it was overwhelming by design. And yet—
"Indeed, Dark Matter of the Imaginary Number District wields the power to alter any subatomic particle through diffraction. But if that’s the case... in a perfect vacuum, where no particles exist to be altered, what power is left to you?"
Driven deep into the ground stood a cylindrical container, human-sized in scale. It rose like a legendary holy sword, yet carried the hollow impression of a scabbard—or a spent shell casing. Upon its surface was engraved:
Five_Over OS
Modelcase "JAGGED_EDGE"
Final Chapter: I Don’t Know What “Predetermined Harmony” Means - Theory_"was"_Broken.
Episode 125: And Now, We Arrive Here - Speculation_Cross.
"Indeed, that silver-haired bastard is without question a piece of shit. I have no objection to him reaping what he’s sown one day. However! This is an emergency. Wasting a combat asset like him now would be far too great a loss."
"...What a joke. That’s nothing but your own damn convenience."
"There exists an ability user who can automatically kill anyone who directs hostility toward them."
Just that single line.
The card Reicia played hit hard enough to freeze Kakine’s expression.
"The activation is absolute. Simply identifying the target’s appearance or personal data is enough to end it. The only exceptions are Imagine Breaker, a lunatic capable of killing without hostility, a bleeding-heart saint who can love even their enemies, or a specialist in magic."
"...That’s a hell of a lot of exceptions."
"You do realize, don’t you, that neither you nor the one you’re trying to protect fits any of those categories?"
Reicia flashed a sly, mean-spirited smile.
Kakine had no retort.
"......"
Aleister silently observed her profile. Reicia noticed, but deliberately ignored it, continuing without pause.
"Incidentally, since I’ve already abandoned being human, I fall outside the scope. Do you understand? Against the 'external threat' currently assaulting this city, the only forces capable of opposing it are myself, Shiren, Touma, and this root of all evil here."
(Though, in truth—even with the appearance of the Imaginary Number District, Vent had been defeated by Touma alone in the proper timeline. Even if Aleister were to die, it wouldn’t necessarily matter. But that was better left unsaid, lest it complicate things.)
Of course, the argument was sleight of hand—truth mixed with misdirection, crafted to force both men to sheath their blades. In reality, as long as Vent wasn’t allowed to thin their forces, only Terra and Acqua remained. Terra could at least be brought down with Academy City’s overwhelming science, even if Acqua was another matter.
From Reicia’s perspective, only Accelerator, Kakine Teitoku, and Aleister Crowley stood within reach of possibly defeating Acqua. That was why she couldn’t afford to let them waste strength fighting each other here.
"...Fine. I’ll accept a ceasefire. As long as you put your weapons down."
"All the better, Dark Matter of the Imaginary Number District. Spare plan or not, it gains us nothing to exhaust ourselves here."
"Would you quit with that smug condescension, you damn fool!?"
THWACK.
A blow—just barely within the limits of what the human body should produce—resounded. And for the moment, hostilities fell into a tense lull.
"Well then, it seems we’ve successfully established a cooperative relationship—"
"...Oi. Don’t get the wrong idea."
Kakine suddenly cut in, halting Aleister mid-sentence. Aleister, who had been wearing a calm, confident expression, slowly turned his gaze toward him.
Meeting that gaze, Kakine crossed his arms, leaned against the brick wall of the alley, and grinned. Even in the shadows, his eyes gleamed with a light that could only be called ambition.
"Here’s the ultimate truth: I don’t give a damn what happens to you. Sure, I can’t let the city get wiped out or wrecked by some 'external threat.' But don’t you dare assume we’re equals. You’re relying on my cooperation, but if you think you’re getting that without giving me anything in return, you’re dreaming."
Direct negotiation with the General Chairman.
That was something Kakine Teitoku had long desired. And now, here it was, right in front of him.
This was his chance to secure conditions—maybe even stake a claim to an important post in Academy City’s future. A step toward his long-cherished goal. After all, Aleister was the one who needed the manpower. At worst, Kakine could simply walk away from Academy City for a while.
Of course, his opponent was Aleister Crowley, the cunning, battle-hardened General Chairman of Academy City. Kakine wasn’t naïve enough to think the talks would go smoothly, or that Aleister wouldn’t try to push back. But even so—given the situation, Kakine was certain he held the upper hand.
"...Oh? Is there something you want, then? How troublesome. I no longer hold any authority to grant such things."
Aleister, of course, never regarded Kakine’s obvious bargaining as any kind of real problem.
"...Huh?"
"Because you do have some demand in mind, don’t you? Unfortunately, the moment things reached this stage, the probability of Academy City slipping beyond my control rose to over ninety-eight percent. Ah, if only the Divine Contract—Near Death Promis—had activated properly, the situation might have been different. But alas, it seems the worst possible outcome has come to pass."
"...Wha—"
Kakine erupted.
But this time, his fury carried far more of the sting of helplessness than anything he had shown before.
"The hell are you babbling about!? This city’s supposed to matter to you too, isn’t it!? That’s why you’ve sat on the throne as its so-called King all this time, isn’t it!? And now you’re just throwing it away so easily...!?"
"There’s no need for concern. As I told Jagged Edge earlier, this much is nothing more than a trivial margin of error. The warped Thelema Monastery may slip from my grasp, but the Plan still lives. The Authority remains in my hands. There is no reason whatsoever to panic."
And then, with a calm face, Aleister added:
"After all, this kind of failure is practically an everyday occurrence for me."
A faint, shadowed smile spread across his lips.
It was, in essence, a plain admission of defeat.
Aleister—the King of Academy City—was saying, right here and now:
"I’ve been outmaneuvered and toppled from my throne, but such failures are routine, so it’s hardly a problem. That said, since I’ve fallen from the throne, I cannot guarantee you any reward. But if you refuse to cooperate, then there will be no rewards at all in the future."
"...…"
If you’re going to eat poison, then lick the plate clean.
Kakine Teitoku made up his mind.
"...Fine. I’ll do it! But in exchange—when you reclaim the throne of Academy City, I’m collecting my reward!"
"Of course, Dark Matter of the Imaginary Number District."
"You both sound awfully desperate, don’t you..."
And so, the three of them set out together.
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