Chapter 26: A Turning Point

And then, in the very next moment, the action I took completely exceeded everyone else’s expectations.

“――――My… loyal… servants.”

I pressed a finger to the mic at my ear and restarted the communication line, issuing that call.

Just moments before, the jamming signal Misaka Mikoto had deployed had severed communications between me and my subordinates. However, the unexpected battle with the Sisters had been shocking enough to completely drive that fact out of Mikoto’s mind.

‘He’—perhaps out of consideration for Mikoto—seemed reluctant to request assistance from them. But unfortunately for him, I, the villainous noblewoman standing here, have no kindness in my heart to consider Mikoto’s situation.

I simply forged ahead, driven only by my desire to do what I wanted to do. That was all there was to it.

………Though, deep beneath the surface, something fundamental has certainly changed.

『Yes, my Queen?』

Despite the abruptness of the summons, the reply came instantly and clearly.

Even while speaking respectfully, the voice over the line carried a playful tone, even a hint of familiarity. I gave a faint, self-mocking smile at that, before immediately covering it with my usual bold smirk.

“I imagine the visuals are already being transmitted… The enemy is manipulating the winds across all of Academy City to generate plasma! To counter that, we must also manipulate the wind on our side!!”

『…Haa!? The entire wind flow of Academy City!? What the hell are you saying!? How the hell are we supposed to counter something that ridiculous!?』

“Don’t underestimate my power. With my ability, I’ll crush that traitor’s petty tricks with ease. …However, my calculation capacity alone cannot keep up with him! That’s why—I need your power!!”

Relying on others.

For someone like me, that was an unthinkable option. Even now, the idea still doesn’t sit comfortably with me. And yet, I overcame that—and asked for help.

I admitted my own weakness. I reached out to my allies.

To an outsider, it might seem like a small step forward. But for me, it was a monumental one.

『…So, what exactly would you have us do…?』

“Calculations.”

I stated it plainly.

“Calculate the wind flow throughout the city. Then relay the results to me. …I’ll handle the execution.”

『…Haa, look, I’ve got a million questions, like how you went from investigating what happened to you and Misaka-san to suddenly fighting that albino freak—but…』

Shika, on the other end of the call, let out a sigh.

But her voice couldn’t quite hide its joy. To be able to support a dear friend—her voice brimmed with that strength.

『When our Queen herself is asking us directly, how could we possibly refuse?! Everyone!!』

『Yeah!!』

Hearing the resounding voices of my faction members, I smiled softly. And I smiled inwardly, too, toward the one within me.

(………Haah… I’m… a little tired. But you know what to do now, don’t you? Now that I’ve awakened… the resonance of the soul… the output of our ability should increase… I’ll match with you… just fine…… so the lead… is… yours………)

(…………Yeah. Thank you.)

With tears in my eyes, I smiled.

How uncool, I thought to myself with a wry laugh.

After all the effort he’d put in to help me, I ended up being the one helped. Who was saving who at this point?

—Precisely because of that, this part, at least, I have to do with my own hands.

I have to finish it properly.

“…Is everyone ready with the calculations?”

『Huh? Yes… wait, Reicia-san? You seem kind of… different…?』

“――――Then let’s begin.”

In that instant—

Behind me, ninety-eight pairs of immense wings, black and white, burst forth into view.

—No, they are not the wings of an angel. They are the manifestation of my evolved ability. Having grown to the point of severing even light itself, my power now creates ruptures composed of ‘white surfaces’ that scatter and refract light chaotically, and ‘black surfaces’ that absorb it entirely.

True to the name Jagged Edge of Black and White Blades.

The maximum number of branches: 196. The maximum length per branch: over 500 meters. Previously, the entire construct could only reach 500 meters in total.

What’s more, the evolved version now allows individual branches to activate or deactivate independently. In short, it can now unleash wind on a scale and with a fluidity previously unimaginable.

This is no longer the realm of Level 4 abilities.

This is Level 5.

One of the apex powers of Academy City.

At last, the name Jagged Edge of Black and White Blades matches the true weight of its might.

“…Kamijou-san. Trust me—and just charge forward!”

And because of that, Kamijou responded to my sudden order with nothing more than a nod.

Sure, it was strange. One moment I was blasted away, the next I was conversing with someone, and now wielding power far greater than before. Strange—but not even for a second did Kamijou doubt me.

He believed. And charged forward.

………When Kamijou Touma is in that state—he becomes stronger than anyone.

“――――A-1, clear. A-3, clear. A-4, clear. B-2, clear. C-14, clear… Back—B-3, clear!”

I processed the incoming calculations without pause. The GMDW members were, as always, highly capable. Not only did they analyze the city’s entire wind flow—they even broke it down into blocks for easy processing and transmission.

Behind me, the massive cracks writhed like living creatures, fading in and out. Each emergence stirred up violent gales, directly interfering with the air currents generating the plasma.

“…Wh-What the hell is this airflow…!? What’s this current slicing up my winds like a goddamn butter knife…!? …You… Blondie!?”

Just moments ago, the lowly creature’s rebellion wasn’t even worth mentioning.

Now, faced with it, Accelerator’s eyes betray his unease.

………And a disturbance of the heart is a disturbance of ability.

Reicia—or rather, all of the Reicias—didn’t miss that one instant of vulnerability. In a flash, they drove in the final strike. BWAHH!! The plasma that had been swirling above Accelerator’s head vanished, and the darkness of night crept back over the battlefield.

In other words—

The only thing left on the board was Kamijou Touma’s right hand. Just that.

“——Haaah.”

As if her strength had drained all at once, Reicia collapsed to her knees on the spot. At the same time, the divine wing-like cracks that had been spreading out behind her faded into nothing.

“You really are a riot, you bastard——”

Accelerator, having lost every single card in his deck, still managed a twisted smile.

………No. That’s not it.

That wasn’t a defiant grin.

What stretched across his lips, trembling, twitching, trying to shape itself into a smirk—was undeniably the face of fear.

That’s why he clenched his fist.

Because he couldn’t back down now. If he admitted to that, he’d truly become a murderer.
So—he had to kill the aberration in front of him—so it wouldn’t come to that.

“——You’re the most goddamn fun I’ve had, you know that!?”

The high-ion plasma was useless now. Realizing this, Accelerator redirected the vector of his foot's force, blasting the ground as he propelled himself toward Kamijou.

But unlike the “canonical” history, Kamijou wasn’t on his last legs. He still had fight in him—enough to leap in and meet the charge head-on.

Caught off guard, Accelerator kicked the ground again to stop short, exploding rubble into the air—but Kamijou had anticipated it, ducking low to evade.

Accelerator cursed internally and tried manipulating the air currents to hurl Kamijou away—but——

“Did you really think I’d already exited the stage?”

That desperate effort was snuffed out by none other than Reicia, who smiled with calm menace.

Though she looked absolutely spent, Reicia’s fingertips still held a massive crack stretched open across the air like a tear in reality.

“Y-You goddamn bastards——!”

Accelerator’s fury erupted like a lightning strike—

—but Kamijou was already inside his guard.

“Ghhu—!?”

Accelerator’s arms snapped up, still fully functional. He swung both with brutal force, aiming to shatter Kamijou’s skull.

The first strike sliced through empty air—Touma had tilted just enough to let it slide past.

The second?

Slapped down with a sharp crack—by Kamijou’s right hand.

“Better grit your teeth, 'cause the so-called strongest—”

The chaos, the spiraling futures, the snarled web of violence—

—collapsed toward a single point.

Like a rubber band stretched to its breaking point, now whipping back with lethal precision.

“—just got outdone by the guy you wrote off as nothing.”

His voice dropped low, the words striking harder than any punch.

“And he hits back harder than you ever did.”

BOOM.

Kamijou Touma’s fist slammed into Accelerator’s face.

A brutal, full-force blow.

The pale boy was launched backwards, skidding across the scorched earth for meters—before falling still.

Then—like a thunderclap marking the end of a war—

—a deafening crack of electricity split the air.

The battlefield fell silent.

Chapter Two: I Don’t Care If I Fail — Crazy_Princess.
Episode 22: A Turning Point — To_the_Epilogue.

………In the end, Kamijou only came out of it with light injuries—unlike the canon.

If anything, I was the one who took a direct hit from the wind blast and got flung hard, ending up with scrapes and bruises all over. Technically still “light injuries,” yeah—but I looked so beat up that when Yumetsuki-san and the others rushed to the hospital, they freaked out pretty hard.

Honestly, I’d wanted to check in on the Sisters, who had apparently been freed—but… well, Misaka asked me not to talk too much about them with others. Said she didn’t want word getting out. So instead, I was tasked with guiding our faction members away from the topic. Fair enough—some of that info’s pretty sensitive, and the fewer people who know, the better.

I decided to just leave out the stuff about the experiments when I talked to the faction, and otherwise told them as much as I honestly could. I figured… that was the least I could do for the girls who’d fought alongside me.

“…Geez. What the hell were you thinking pulling a stunt like that…? Reicia-san’s been pushing herself way too hard lately. She’s barely recovered, and she still doesn’t know how to take it easy.”

“It’s true! When the comms cut off mid-mission, I seriously thought my heart was going to stop…!”

“…Hehe, I’m sorry. But this really will be the last time, okay?”

“You promise? Like, absolutely promise? If you break it—I’m gonna cry, okay? Yumetsuki-san’s gonna cry.”

“Why the hell am I the one getting saddled with crying duty!?! I’m not some emotional crybaby!! In fact—I’ll make you cry, Reicia-san!!”

“Oh sure, says the girl who burst into tears the moment she saw Reicia-san’s ability evolve!”

“AAHH!! AHH-AHH-AHH!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Yumetsuki-san flailed her arms around and shouted, while Rinka-san teased her relentlessly. Around them, the rest of the GMDW team chattered and joked.

…And right in the middle of them all—there I was. Laughing. Genuinely enjoying myself.

Back then… my body was racked with pain, and I was half-conscious, acting more on instinct than anything else. So honestly, my memory of it is fuzzy at best.

Maybe I was just hallucinating in that near-death state. Maybe I imagined what I wanted to hear.

But still—I could’ve sworn I heard it.

——Reicia-chan. This is… all thanks to you, isn’t it? …The end… is near now, isn’t it?