Chapter 179: Is It a Demon or a Sinner That I Pray For?
“Grrrr…”
Kihara’s Grimoire’s body turned toward Shiren with jerky, puppet-like motions. In its eyes, no trace of will remained — it looked like nothing more than a machine moving under Aleister’s command.
The one who gritted her teeth was Shiren, who had only wanted to talk with Kihara’s Grimoire.
“A-Aleister…!!”
“Do you truly feel such remorse? The opponent before you is one who sought to harm you — a clear enemy.”
“But he was trying to rise again!!”
Indeed, Kihara’s Grimoire may have been wrong in his methods.
Left unchecked, his plans could twist the very essence of humankind. Even in the short term, who knew what harm he might bring to Index — or what destruction he might unleash upon Shiren, whom he once looked at with murderous intent.
Yet, at his core, all he’d ever wanted was something simple: to start over. Shiren could reject his means, but not that wish itself.
That was why she refused to give up on dialogue.
…The emotionless eyes of the puppet that had once been Kihara’s Grimoire reflected no color at all.
“Damn it. This is why I hate sharing a battlefield with saint-types like you.”
Accelerator brushed past Shiren and stepped forward.
“No matter what kind of sob story that bastard Kihara’s Grimoire has, the fact remains — ‘he’s not a living being, he’s a weapon,’ and ‘he’s trying to turn this city, and the whole damn world, into rubble.’ …I’ve got my own reasons too. Didn’t I say that?”
In contrast to Shiren, who sought understanding through dialogue, Accelerator stood as one defending Academy City — or rather, carrying the prayer of Nayuta Kihara, who wished to protect the city as a member of the Public Morals Committee. For him, there was no stopping here.
“…Damn it. I’m not letting that brat’s dream be crushed.”
“Do you really think you can, Accelerator?”
“Let me ask you instead — if I didn’t, then why the hell would I be here?”
After that exchange with Aleister, Accelerator swung his right arm carelessly.
That single motion compressed and converted the air’s vectors into a spear of wind, which launched straight toward Kihara’s Grimoire. Aleister easily deflected it — but in doing so, he had chosen to defend something that should have been immortal.
“You made a grand speech, but the truth is, that thing still needs time before full activation, doesn’t it? Gathering up all that excess angelic Telesma scattered throughout Academy City takes effort. To cover that weakness, you revealed your hand and provoked us — all to buy time. Meaning, if it’s destroyed now… you’re in trouble, aren’t you?”
“…Fiamma of the Right Hand’s handiwork, is it.”
“Bingo. But knowing that won’t do you any good!!”
It was then that Aleister realized — Nayuta Kihara was no longer behind Accelerator’s laughter.
“—!! Don’t tell me she was given a disruption spell from him—”
“Aleister Crowley!!”
“We’ll hold you down!!”
As Aleister tried to pursue Nayuta’s vanished presence, Stiyl and Kanzaki moved in to intercept. His expression twisted bitterly.
“…Hmph. As expected of professional magicians. You certainly know how to move your own pieces.”
Around him, phantom weapons appeared, orbiting like Saturn’s rings.
“—But do you really believe the terminal branches of my lineage can resist me?”
Then it happened.
The barrier Kanzaki had formed with her steel wires warped on its own — and suddenly exploded. The blast sent the wires flying, and since they were her own weapons, that alone made them lethal.
“Guh—!? The spell control was disrupted instantly…!?”
“It’s not like the ones in the Magic Library. Have you forgotten who created the foundation of your magic in the first place? …Rely too much on talent and neglect your training, and your legs will be swept from under you. And—”
“……!!”
Effortlessly defeating both Kanzaki and Stiyl, Aleister’s gaze turned toward Nayuta.
“Typical of a cyborg. Cutting off your biological signals to blend into the background — camouflage targeting the sixth sense. I recall someone similar from ‘School.’ But once you know the trick, it’s easy to expose.”
Releasing his staff, Aleister’s hand sparked with number-shaped lights, forming the illusion of a flintlock pistol.
“Not so fast…!!”
Sensing danger, Accelerator instantly moved to shield her.
Nayuta Kihara was an esper, and the Fallen-Prevention spell entrusted to her by Fiamma wasn’t autonomous. Using it came with serious risk. But Nayuta had accepted that. She chose to protect the city, even if it meant dying.
He couldn’t let a “hero” with that kind of resolve have her dream crushed. Maybe a villain like Accelerator couldn’t save anyone — but he could at least support that hero’s dream with his blood-stained power. Otherwise, there’d be no meaning in stepping onto this battlefield at all.
“Nayuta!! Do it!!”
The airflow twisted like a dragon, instantly turning to plasma as it surged toward Aleister.
In response, sparks scattered in numeric shapes: 70, 2, 200, 1, 4, 700, 70.
The searing dragon’s strike was stopped by a “black-and-white rift” that tore open in mid-air. Watching that rift dissolve, Aleister spoke with calm satisfaction.
“The Five-Over of Another Four’s Deck No. 4 is costly to maintain, but its true worth is revealed when I reproduce it with my magic. The cost is only my opponent’s imagination. I can fire as much as I want — for free.”
“Damn it…!! That’s cheating beyond reason…!!”
“It’s not an esper ability — it’s magic.”
Gunfire rang out in rapid bursts. Though a flintlock shouldn’t have been capable of it, the “spiritual multiplier” illusions allowed continuous shots. Nayuta was forced to halt, completely focused on defense.
“Nayuta!!”
“Ugh, no—just a little more! I’m so close! I can still protect this city…!!”
“……,”
That brief hesitation proved fatal.
“—Now then. Time’s up.”
As Kihara’s Grimoire began to emit pitch-black mist, like a cocoon about to hatch, Aleister glared down at it and said,
“…It took a long detour, but the board has fallen into place exactly as planned. Now for the final move.”
Final Chapter — “I Don’t Know Anything About Predetermined Harmony” - Theory_"was"_Broken.
Episode 150: Is It a Demon or a Sinner Who Prays - "K"'s_End.
So, in other words—
──The colossal miscalculation occurred immediately afterward.
"………………?"
Everything had been prepared.
They had driven away Nayuta, who carried the ritual granted by Fiamma, and even held back Accelerator’s relentless assault.
At this point, there was no reason for Kihara’s Grimoire—implanted with Aleister’s virus—to not begin the process of “Fallen Angel.”
And yet—
Kihara’s Grimoire remained silent.
"What’s wrong? The command should already be input. ‘Fallen Angel’ should be starting any moment now…"
"Like hell it will…"
A single phrase.
The words forced their way out of Kihara’s Grimoire’s mouth.
An impossible act—something the Original Grimoire should have never been capable of.
"Impossible…! Rejection? Do you understand what you’re doing? My manipulation expands your functions—it allows your knowledge to be properly managed and disseminated! It shouldn’t contradict your role as the ‘original text’ of a grimoire. Refusing this process means your transition into the Conversion Engine Archetype will fail—and that failure will inflict a fatal bug on your very foundation!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I damn well know that already."
Kihara’s Grimoire—or rather, the man who had become known by that name—twisted his lips into a crooked grin, as if laughing at something utterly worthless… and then fell still.
"……I get it. It’s ridiculous for a piece of human trash like me to think I could stand on the side of heroes now, yeah."
Even Kihara’s Grimoire had heard all of it.
And that’s exactly why… he made his decision.
"Too soft, really. Makes me sick just thinking about it."
The puppet arms of Kihara’s Grimoire suddenly flared with swirling patterns of four primary colors.
CRRANK!!
With a sound like a gear grinding out of place, movement returned to his body—natural, unrestrained.
"Yeah…"
He smiled.
But this grin was different—something else was bleeding through it.
"Yeah, me and you—we’re the lowest of scum. Scum that tore through the world as we pleased, got used by other scum, and wound up ruined. That’s just how it goes. But, y’know…"
──GRAAAAH!!!
His arms ballooned grotesquely.
"These guys ain’t got nothin’ to do with it!!!"
His monstrous arms swung down toward Aleister.
But the silver staff floating before the magician struck once, cleanly—and those arms were blown apart in an instant.
Kihara’s Grimoire should have possessed an automatic regeneration function—yet, thanks to what Aleister called a “halted transitional state,” even that no longer worked.
In fact—
a deep, unsettling crack had already formed across his cheek.
"And after all that, you think it’s fine to trample on their will to protect something…? Like hell it is…!!"
Kihara’s Grimoire—
"Besides…"
No—something that had long since burned out and withered inside him began to ignite again.
"That damn woman told me to just try it and see how far I could go. And I’ll be damned if I let her have the last word!!!!"
"──Did you really think my plan was fragile enough to lose control over something this trivial!? Don’t insult me…!!"
Aleister retorted, hovering four symbolic weapons around himself, ready to intercept the forcibly regenerating, four-colored arm.
The moment both sorceries collided—
"──This cause and effect will be twisted!!!!"
Snap!
A sharp snap of fingers echoed across the battlefield—
Shiren’s sound.
"Wha…t…?"
The one who froze in shock was Aleister Crowley.
That should have been impossible.
Sure, the use of the Result Twister was technically possible—the wall of air was gone, and the distance close enough for sound to travel.
But fundamentally, that sound was a double-edged blade.
It should have destroyed Kihara’s Grimoire along with everything else.
Given how unstable he was now, that single strike should have been enough to obliterate his very existence.
Shiren would never use a move like that—not unless she intended to kill him.
That was Aleister’s calculation.
That was how it should have been—
But Kihara’s Grimoire… had not collapsed.
"Impossible…!? Kihara’s Grimoire exists by inheriting the malice of the deceased Kihara Kagun! If he took a direct hit from the Malicious Result Twister, the malice that drives him should have been rejected—and his existence should’ve unraveled entirely!"
"…After seeing the way he is now, do you really still think that man’s existence is made up of nothing but malice?"
At those words, Aleister turned his gaze once more toward Kihara’s Grimoire.
His arms were gone, his face cracked, his body on the verge of collapse—
and yet, that man still stood firm and defiant, feet planted solidly upon the earth.
"How can you possibly call a man made of ‘malice’ someone who throws away all pride and reputation—just to raise his fists in order to protect someone!!"
──Kihara Kagun’s revival was now complete.
And so—
"…………I suppose there’s no helping it. I’ll admit it—the ‘Fallen Angel Project’ has failed."
Aleister accepted it—
surprisingly easily.
And then—
BOOOM!!!
The air between Aleister and Kihara’s Grimoire detonated.
Circles of light spread across the ground, forming an intricate sigil beneath their feet.
Before anyone realized, the entire area had been sliced out of reality—sealed within a pale blue cube, roughly fifty meters across on each side.
"W-What the hell is this!?"
"…! It’s a ritual chamber! He’s going to summon something—!!"
"I couldn’t access the First Tree or the Second Tree, so the manifestation of the Third Tree may be slightly imperfect… but regardless—it’s been summoned successfully."
And then—
Standing calmly beside Aleister Crowley, who had instantaneously deployed the ritual field—
"…………What in the world is this situation supposed to be?"
She wore a gown of black and white—
a nightdress woven from both light and shadow,
her form veiled by drifting wisps of monochrome mist.
"Can’t you tell? I’ve cornered Kihara’s Grimoire, but numbers aren’t in my favor. To put it bluntly, I’m about to lose."
"…Honestly, you really are the most hopeless final boss imaginable…"
──Reicia Blackguard.
"But I haven’t given up yet. I’ve already made all the enhancements I can, so could you spare me the lecture?"
"…Good grief. I suppose I have no choice then. Shall we begin?"
The one who toys with her goodwill and turns it into a weapon—
is Aleister Crowley.
"And with that—"
The worst summoner in existence spoke without a shred of shame,
as if announcing the start of the next round.
"Let’s go lend a hand—
to save your other half."
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