Chapter 180: No Matter What Divides the Two of Us
—Reicia Blackguard.
Until that very moment, she had envisioned every possible “worst-case scenario.”
The premise had been clear from the start: a battle with Shiren Blackguard was inevitable. But the true worst of the world always finds ways to sink below even the darkest expectations.
That was why Reicia had steeled herself for the absolute worst.
She had countless examples to guide her thoughts—like the “worst worlds” Othinus once showed Kamijou Touma in the True History. She had even considered the possibility of being met with genuine hatred and contempt from her friends… and from Shiren herself. And even if that happened, she had resolved—without a hesitation lasting even a tenth of a millisecond—to act for one reason alone: to save Shiren.
—or rather, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she had been made to decide that way.
Archetype Control: Prototype Controller.
That man’s existence had become far too deeply ingrained in the foundation of the world itself. He could twist the vices of human wisdom into tangible form, binding them within the shape of bloodlines.
With such mastery, manipulating the actions of a single girl while leaving her “most precious thing” untouched was a trivial matter.
And so—
"Reicia-chan…!"
"…Shiren. This may hurt a little, but please bear with it, alright?"
Meeting Shiren’s eyes, Reicia lunged forward like a wild beast—without even a tenth of a millisecond’s hesitation.
"…! Shiren!!"
"Tch, what a pain in the ass this is turning into…!"
Kamijou and Accelerator reacted instantly, but neither could afford to lower their guard against the newly emerged root of all evil—Aleister Crowley.
Inevitably, Shiren was left as the lone piece on the board, forced to face Reicia head-on.
Her movements far exceeded what she had shown moments earlier. Most likely, the ritual she had been advancing using Kihara’s Grimoire had been partially diverted to enhance Reicia’s power.
Shiren raised her right hand to counter, but no matter how she moved, Reicia’s strike was unquestionably faster.
And—every part of Reicia’s attack was born entirely from goodwill toward Shiren.
Even if it meant becoming her enemy. Even if it meant being despised by her. Even if every bond they had built were to crumble to dust—she would still save her.
That belief, that trust that “Shiren would never disregard her feelings,” was itself a setup carefully arranged and guided by Aleister.
That manipulated “trust” manifested in the worst possible form: a merciless assault without the slightest doubt.
At that very moment, Aleister Crowley quietly gave the command to activate the Five_Over system.
Five_Over.Modelcase_"Jagged-Edge"
This weapon, bearing the name of the hidden Fourth Rank “Another Four,” was the perfect counter to Shiren’s Result Twister.
By unfolding “fractures” that distorted the flow of sound itself, Aleister could freeze the movements of Kamijou, Accelerator, and Kihara’s Grimoire—all of whom now brimmed with hostility toward him after Shiren’s failed attempt to stop Reicia.
The battlefield would fall into absolute stillness.
And if Aleister were granted even a single instant of freedom—then this time, harvesting Shiren’s soul would be a simple matter.
(Well then… after so many twists and turns—)
The assault of the three members of God’s Right Seat. The counterattack of Kihara’s Grimoire. The secret scheming of Fiamma of the Right.
The tangled strands of history were finally beginning to converge.
The original conspiracy was once again lifting its head—
Like a stretched rubber band snapping back to its original form.
(It’s time for the harvest. Divine Contract—Near-Death Promise.)
The countless scattered futures began to converge once more into the shape they were always meant to take.
Final Chapter: I Don’t Know Anything About Predetermined Harmony - Theory_"was"_Broken.
Episode 151: No Matter What Divides the Two of Us - Undividable.
"This causality shall be reversed."
—It was supposed to have converged.
That was why Aleister Crowley needed several fleeting seconds to understand what the dry snap he’d just heard truly meant.
And by the time he realized the sound came from Reicia and Shiren’s palms striking together—everything was already far too late.
The sound of palms meeting.
In other words, the sound born from a right hand.
GAAAJJAAAAAANNNN!!!
The discharged casings of the Five_Over scattered from the sky, breaking apart midair as they rained toward the ground. The deployment of the “fractures” had failed.
And that wasn’t all.
Reicia—who was supposed to be under Aleister’s control through Archetype Control: Prototype Controller—wasn’t fighting Shiren at all. She now stood beside her, shoulder to shoulder, facing Aleister together.
As if to say, We’re fighting together.
"What… is this…?"
It was a development that should have been utterly impossible.
Even Aleister, no stranger to failure, had considered the possibility that the mental guidance placed upon Reicia might one day unravel. But not like this—not so soon. He hadn’t provided her with the information or the stimulus required for such a reaction.
Even if Reicia were to sense that something was wrong, that realization should have come only after words were exchanged or blows were traded—yet the two girls had barely spoken. They hadn’t even looked each other in the eye for long. There was no way she could have had enough information to break free of his control.
"Why side with her!? You were resolved! Even if you had to oppose Shiren, you swore to guide her down the right path! You sharpened your thoughts for that very purpose! So how can you stand beside her now, at the very end!?"
This wasn’t a matter of shaken resolve.
Reicia was still acting with absolute conviction—yet even within Aleister’s bindings, she could stand firmly at Shiren’s side.
"Isn’t it obvious?"
To the utterly bewildered Aleister, Reicia gave a sharp huff, her tone filled with offended pride.
"Who do you think I am? I can read Shiren’s true intentions just by looking into her eyes."
Your little tricks mean nothing in the face of our bond.
The answer was simple.
Up until the very moment of impact, Reicia Blackguard had not escaped the control of the Archetype Controller. Her sense of morality and values were still being manipulated, her actions carefully guided to serve Aleister’s designs. And there was no logical reason or external factor strong enough to shatter that influence.
And yet—even so—Reicia’s trust was strong enough that a single exchanged glance was all it took for her to recognize Shiren’s sanity.
That was all there was to it.
"Where are you looking?"
Perhaps because he’d been too focused on Reicia’s spirit, Aleister realized too late that Shiren had already closed the distance between them.
"Kh—!!"
"This causality shall be reversed."
With a sharp snap of her fingers, a pocket of stillness tore open across the battlefield.
Aleister tried to activate his counter-formula immediately, but his spellwork collapsed under the force of the Result Twister, turning the failed invocation into searing damage across his internal organs.
And then—
"I have plenty I could say to you…"
The blonde, green-eyed lady drew back her right fist, her voice shaking the air as she roared her declaration.
"But first—this is for devaluing our bond!"
GOGGAAANNN!!!
Her right fist crashed into the villain’s face with the force of a cannon blast.
—A partner who couldn’t be saved just by reaching out a hand?
Sure. That much might be true.
After all, a captive princess who could be rescued just by meeting someone’s eyes—how exactly would you go about saving her?
Aleister’s body was sent flying, tumbling across the asphalt.
The impact from putting her full weight into that punch must have strained her; Shiren lightly clutched her right wrist, breathing hard through her shoulders.
Still, even with a girl’s slender arm, a blow backed by her entire body was no joke. And since it had landed squarely on an unguarded face, even Aleister would have to feel something from it.
"……Well now. Another failure, it seems."
Hearing that calm voice, Shiren froze in disbelief.
"Aleister!?"
"Shiren!!"
At almost the exact same moment Reicia stepped forward—her body wrapped in a swirl of black and white mist—to shield her, a shockwave crashed into Shiren.
BOOM!!
If Reicia had been even a second slower, Shiren’s body would have been sent flying hundreds of meters away like a golf ball.
"……!!!"
Kamijou and Accelerator had also managed to withstand the blast, protecting their nearby allies—but Aleister’s assault didn’t end there.
"Spray."
"—Guh!?"
The instant Aleister murmured the word, a violent impact struck Shiren’s abdomen, as if she’d been punched by an invisible fist.
Her knees nearly buckled, but she forced herself to stay upright and glared ahead.
"Two spells… running in parallel!?"
"Impressive intuition. As an analysis of the phenomenon, that earns you a passing mark—though your grasp of the underlying principle remains painfully shallow."
Then Shiren realized something.
The white and black mist surrounding Reicia’s body was gone.
It had moved—now swirling beside Aleister instead.
"At any rate, the power’s been safely recovered. And—it seems things are wrapping up nicely on the other side as well."
Gwoom. A deep, unsettling rumble echoed.
The mist by Aleister’s side began to swell, as if some enormous creature were stirring within it.
"Tch… looks like we didn’t make it in time," Accelerator spat.
"Indeed. Seems Shiren’s allies did quite the job over there," Aleister replied with a smirk.
Almost on cue, Shiren’s terminal buzzed with an incoming transmission.
"Hello? Shiren?"
—Frenda Seivelun.
The girl who had been fighting Aqua at the rear spoke in her usual laid-back tone.
"Aqua’s been sent flying. Pretty sure it’s over on my end. What about yours?"
In other words—Aqua had been defeated.
That alone told Shiren plenty about the current situation.
The black and white mist. The term Fallen.
Shiren didn’t know much about the magic side, but she knew enough about the “correct history” to recognize a pattern.
Aleister was performing some kind of process that seized control of the angelic power, Telesma, once wielded by the members of God’s Right Seat.
That was the “Fallen” phenomenon Accelerator had been wary of.
Although, judging from Kihara’s Grimoire’s rebellion and Reicia’s earlier actions, the result had diverged considerably from what Aleister had originally intended.
"Ah… our situation here’s changed a bit. To be blunt—defeating Aqua might’ve been… rather bad for us."
In short, that meant Aleister now had every piece he needed.
"Huh!? What’s that supposed to mean!? Did something happen!?"
"No need to worry! We’ll handle things on our end! Thank you for your help!"
Ending the call with a beep, Shiren refocused on the enemy before her.
Stiyl and Kanzaki stood beside Oriana, protected by Kamijou, Misaka, Shokuhou, and Index. Against Aleister, though, that line barely held. Accelerator was busy shielding Nayuta and the exhausted Kihara’s Grimoire, unable to move freely or launch rapid attacks.
In this situation, the only ones still capable of fighting head-on were Shiren and Reicia—those with no one left to guard. Aleister’s plans had been thwarted again and again, and the tide was finally turning—but even so, the fortress that was that “human” refused to crumble completely.
Reflecting that precarious balance, Aleister’s expression remained calm, his tone carrying the same infuriating confidence he’d shown back when he’d fought alongside Reicia.
"Now then. What to do? Things are getting a little troublesome."
Yet Reicia and Shiren, facing him, smiled with equal defiance.
Smiles bold enough to stand against the entire world itself.
"Don’t make me laugh, Aleister Crowley."
"Surely you don’t think this is our lowest point, do you?"
There was no hidden trump card.
No reason to feel assured.
But those smiles would not be wiped away so easily.
Their reason was simple—and more than enough.
Because the two who together formed the villainous heiress—the “Villainess”—stood united once more.
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