Chapter 187: That Which Must Be Exorcised (Part 1)
Vmm! A glowing sigil flared to life on the ground, encircling everyone present.
Accelerator and Kakine frowned just as they were about to begin their computations.
"This is... a ritual spell?"
"As expected of the magical library. Sharp as ever."
Index tilted her head at the observation, while Aleister nodded without a hint of embarrassment.
"By converting the ‘World Extension’ of the Windowless Building, we can fill the ‘Holes of the World.’ This project doesn’t belong to any existing mythological system—but its core technology originates from the magic side."
As he spoke, Aleister briefly glanced at the glowing sigil.
"Hence, this is the preparation phase."
"I see... So this pattern is..."
"Its purpose is to optimize the ritual’s efficiency—more or less."
It was a simple, straightforward explanation.
"Most ritual spells used by magic cabals divide the process among several members. The same applies to the ‘Golden’ cabal. In such cases, they rely on something called ‘Shared Thought Resources.’"
"And what the hell’s that supposed to mean?"
"It’s a formation that allows you and the Second Ranked to share your cognitive resources. Competition is fine, but running identical calculations in parallel wastes processing power. Sharing your mental load is far more efficient, wouldn’t you agree?"
"Tch. Always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong..."
Accelerator clicked his tongue in irritation, but recognizing the importance of shared computation, he said nothing more.
Searching for the ‘Holes of the World’ might have sounded simple, but it was a monumental task. They were about to scan the entire world for distortions that defied dimensional explanation. Without prior knowledge that such anomalies even existed, even the combined efforts of the First and Second Ranked espers would have overlooked them.
"Besides," Aleister continued, "even if the First and Second Ranks calculate the coordinates of the world’s holes at maximum output, conveying that data to the Fourth Ranked mind would still prove difficult. This sigil also simplifies that transfer."
At the implication that her mental capacity was inferior, Mugino’s eyebrow twitched—but Kinuhata’s quiet restraint beside her kept the situation from escalating.
The spiky-haired boy, oblivious to the tension, tilted his head.
"…Is this really safe? Giving espers a magic buff sounds risky. Like, remember what happened to Tsuchimikado?"
"An esper only takes damage when they attempt to cast magic themselves. There’s no need to worry."
"You sure know your stuff, Shiren..."
Shiren’s calm explanation earned an impressed look from Kamijou.
In truth, very few from the science side understood the interaction between esper and magic systems. Shiren, however, wore a faintly guilty expression—her knowledge came from a ‘true history’ that shouldn’t exist in this world.
"W-Well, I’ve gotten used to it... Though maybe it’s not a good thing for someone from the science side to know this much about magic."
"Doesn’t matter either way. Shared resources or not, all I’ve gotta do is finish the calculations faster than anyone else."
"Heh. Bark all you want, Second Ranked. Don’t start whining when you realize you’ve made yourself useless."
"Bold words, First Ranked. It’s going to hurt when they don’t pay off."
After a brief verbal clash—
Clang! Accelerator and Kakine simultaneously seized hold of the “crack” in empty space—the World Fracture. From there, they began to trace the coordinates of the ‘Holes of the World.’
And behind them—
Zzzzt. A “brain” made of fungal threads rose from the ground like a living growth.
"Now then, Kakine-san. Preparations are complete! Let’s prove that even a ‘substitute’ can surpass the original!!"
"…You’re acting pretty high and mighty for someone using my framework."
"W-Well, in terms of inspiration, Souji-san’s contribution was pretty big..."
"Wait... that’s... the Exterior Brain Unit!?"
The first to react was Shokuhou, instantly recognizing the technology.
──A simplified “Exterior Brain Unit,” created by combining the fungal brain derived from the Doppelgänger’s mycelium with Kihara Souji’s scientific expertise. It was now linked directly to Kakine’s brain—an upgrade to his processing ability.
However—
"As expected of Souji-nii. But we’re not letting Accelerator-nii handle everything alone either!"
Crackle! Violet sparks leapt from Nayuta’s fingertips, and a moment later, black lightning surged from Accelerator’s neck and shot into the sky.
"Accelerator-nii is already connected to the Misaka Network. Unlike that old man Gensei, we don’t need to break in illegally—so he can access the network’s processing field freely. The Onee-samas of the Misaka Network agreed to help too, since this is a world-level emergency."
At this point, the power of the First and Second Ranks stood evenly matched. Competing head-to-head, their combined computation surged toward its final phase.
Final Chapter — I Don’t Know What “Predetermined Harmony” Means - Theory_"was"_Broken.
Episode 158: The Thing That Should Be Exorcised (1) — Misfortune.
At the same time—inside the Windowless Building.
In the current plan to seal the “World Hole,” the Windowless Building had been chosen as an indispensable component of the operation. Within that facility stood a man and a woman.
“…Seriously, every single time, we’re the ones stuck with this kind of tedious work.”
“It can’t be helped, right? Those ‘Magic Side’ people are busy with their ‘conversion’ project. And all the Kiharas and espers have their hands full elsewhere.”
“At least that spiky-haired boss could’ve been sent here instead, don’t you think?”
“Didn’t Aleister personally tell him, ‘You’ll stay right here’? You don’t go against that guy’s orders.”
Grumbling as they went, the pair—Frenda and Hamazura—stepped deeper into the Windowless Building.
Normally, its security would have been far too tight for either of them to breach. The only reason they could enter at all was because Aleister had deliberately suspended the building’s security system for a limited time.
And the reason they’d been sent to infiltrate the Windowless Building despite all that trouble—
“…If I remember right, the Windowless Building does have some ‘symbol’ that lets it reach the ends of the world. But it’s not stable enough to use in the ritual yet, right?”
“Still can’t wrap my head around any of that Magic Side stuff. Sounds like pure nonsense.”
“Well, I mean, it’s hard to believe this thing’s actually a rocket. But if it really is, then yeah—it makes sense we’d have to switch it into rocket mode before it can be used for whatever ritual they’re planning.”
Deep underground beneath the Windowless Building—
The corridor, made of special reinforced concrete, sloped downward at a steady angle. The vastness of the chamber below was staggering; a domed baseball stadium came to mind as a rough comparison. Yet not a single support pillar stood in sight.
Instead, dozens of massive metallic tubes hung from the ceiling like stalactites or icicles. Looking up at them, Frenda let out a low groan.
“…It really is a rocket.”
“That headmaster bastard actually planned to launch Academy City into space?”
“Or maybe, just maybe, he foresaw something like this happening from the very start.”
No one could claim to understand Aleister Crowley’s true intentions. But one fact was clear: the Windowless Building did indeed possess the means to break through the atmosphere and operate as a spacecraft.
After confirming that unsettling truth for themselves, Frenda and Hamazura proceeded as instructed, activating the devices they’d been issued and linking their terminals into the building’s systems.
“Still…”
While Frenda worked on her terminal, Hamazura glanced down at the stack of cards in his hands.
“For a place that’s basically a giant pile of scientific gadgets, there’s still weird old occult junk lying around. Guess the big boss really is part of the Magic Side after all.”
Those cards were none other than the Question-Based Thought Support Artificial Intelligence, “Reading Thoth-78.”
It was one of the Windowless Building’s integral subsystems—the central cognitive support mechanism behind its command infrastructure.
The building itself might be expendable, something Aleister could replace depending on how the plan progressed. But this particular AI was irreplaceable.
While the operation was part of the broader ritual preparations, another major goal of Frenda and Hamazura’s mission was to recover this essential subsystem.
Incidentally, neither of them knew this—but Kamijou hadn’t been chosen for this team precisely because his right hand was incompatible with the Thoth-78 system, which itself was an aggregate of “tarot cards.”
“Well, you know what? I’m not complaining. Clear instructions, simple job, and in the end we still get to join the ranks of heroes who saved the world. Way better than babysitting the guy holding the nuke launch button.”
“Totally agree. Maybe the gods finally felt sorry for us and decided to hand us an easy gig for once.”
Exchanging their usual banter, Frenda and Hamazura continued their work.
However—
They didn’t realize it yet.
Neither the “failures” that always surrounded Aleister Crowley,
nor the truth that nothing born from human instruction could ever be truly flawless.
Roughly ten minutes later.
Working deep within that cavernous space, Frenda and Hamazura had successfully completed the adjustments to make the Windowless Building ready for ritual use.
The operation went smoothly, without interference or incident.
The problem came afterward.
“Setup complete. That means the Windowless Building’s now ready to launch anytime—as a rocket.”
“Heh, looks like we just made history. Guess I’m a hero now… not exactly my usual role, though.”
“…Yeah, that’s right.”
A voice.
In the vast underground space, the words echoed—belonging to someone other than Frenda or Hamazura.
The source of that echo was a man neither of them recognized. In fact, not even Shiren or Reicia would have known who he was.
But if one retraced the tangled web of events, they would find a single unresolved thread.
Remember how it all began.
Separate from the chain of incidents triggered by Aleister Crowley’s attempt to seize Shiren’s Rinshin Contract—Near Death Promise—Kamijou Touma had been caught up in another case.
The incident in which Mitsuari Ayu kidnapped Shokuhou Misaki, turning her into a “captive heroine.” The mastermind behind that event had been a coalition formed by BLOCK, Gozou Ubugami, and the Spark Signal Electrowarfare Unit.
Within that alliance, the core members—Yamate, Saku, and Ubugami—had been eliminated by the Kihara Scripture. With their leadership gone, their organizations had lost nearly all strategic value.
However—
Even without their leaders, the remnants of the Spark Signal Unit and the subordinate groups under BLOCK had survived. As the conflict escalated, they vanished from the public stage—but their original objective, “seizing the throne of Academy City,” had never truly disappeared.
For instance—
If, during the time Frenda and Hamazura infiltrated the Windowless Building, someone took advantage of the temporarily weakened security…
If they hacked into Aleister’s fortress—his very symbol of authority—and launched it into orbit on their own…
Anyone familiar with Aleister Crowley would know such a move wouldn’t even scratch the surface of his schemes.
But to those who didn’t know him, it would seem like a strike at the very heart of his regime.
“…Who the hell are you?”
“What!? Wait—why is the display suddenly showing ‘Launch Sequence Initiated’!?”
“Haha! The Spark Signal Unit specializes in electronic warfare, you know. Lowering the building’s security was a fatal mistake, dogs of Aleister. Give us even a few seconds, and hacking this entire facility is child’s play.”
In other words—
The hacked Windowless Building was about to launch itself skyward.
That alone wouldn’t affect the overall plan. After all, the Windowless Building was to be teleported via a zero-dimensional apex—its physical location was irrelevant to the ritual’s success. And the dialog-based thought-assistance AI, Reading Thoth-78, which Aleister had already detached from the building, was also its “Original Text.” It wouldn’t burn up even under the direct impact of rocket boosters.
Only one problem remained—Hamazura and Frenda were standing directly beneath those rocket boosters, about to be roasted alive.
"Wh—hey, you idiot!! What the hell did you do!? At this rate we’re gonna end up looking like a newlywed’s first cooking disaster!!"
"I don’t particularly care either way. Anyone skilled enough to tamper directly with the Windowless Building is a high-value target. If I take you down with me here, that alone would deal damage to the Aleister regime."
"You’ve got this all wrong…!!"
At that moment, both Frenda and Hamazura noticed it.
Within the vast space around them, countless new presences had appeared—surrounding them and the culprit completely.
"…!!"
"There’s no cover. And with this many of us, you’ve got no chance of escaping alive, Aleister Crowley’s dogs."
Clack-clack-clack—the metallic sound of weapons being raised echoed through the chamber.
Escape was impossible. In mere seconds, the air would erupt with gunfire. With no hope of surviving such a barrage, both Frenda and Hamazura instinctively froze.
Then, in the very next instant—
WHAM!!! The crowd encircling them was sent flying like bowling pins, scattered away with absurd force.
"…Good grief. His work is always sloppy at the end. Well, that’s why I’m here."
Standing there amidst the chaos was a long-haired golden retriever, surrounded by the clicking and whirring of mechanical gadgets.
Kihara Noukan—Aleister Crowley’s loyal “dog.”
"In any case, I’ve come to help, you two youngsters. Let’s get out of here quickly."
As he spoke, the A.A.A. mounted on his back activated on its own. Its manipulators extended outward, grabbing hold of Frenda and Hamazura.
The two idiots, saved in the nick of time, were half in tears.
"I love you, Mr. Doggyyyy!!"
"Damn it! His entrance was too damn cool—I don’t even have time to question why a dog is talking!!"
"…A word of warning: I don’t mind being petted by a young lady, but I have no interest in having my fine coat mauled by some scruffy man. If you don’t want to be dropped mid-flight, I suggest you stop."
Faced with that intimidating growl, Hamazura reluctantly gave up on the idea of petting him. Still, the thought stuck with him—Frenda got away with this kind of thing all the time. Pretty girls really did have it easy.
"…We’re grateful and all, but—you’re with Aleister’s side, right? Why bother backing us up?"
"There’s a small misunderstanding there. True, I work under Aleister, but that doesn’t mean I’m some puppet bound to follow his every command. I’m given a fair degree of discretion."
Noukan said that with a suave puff of cigar smoke.
"In this case, Aleister’s been entirely focused on dealing with Shiren, and he neglected to handle the stray Spark Signal unit that got left hanging. I figured I’d provide backup, just in case—and, as expected, that turned out to be the right call."
That kind of adaptability was precisely why Noukan had been entrusted with Aleister’s combat armament—the A.A.A.
Having recovered the two safely, Noukan ignited the A.A.A.’s rocket thrusters and added one last remark.
"More importantly, the results of your work are already affecting the situation on the other side."
Phase 1 was now virtually complete.
The operation was moving into Phase 2.
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