The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City

"..." Inoue Hideka waited anxiously for Misaka Mikoto's decision.

Although he believed that Misaka Mikoto wouldn't leave him because of this, waiting always makes people anxious, and anxiety can shake one's mind without one even realizing it.

Even with Inoue Hideka's unwavering resolve, she couldn't help but feel nervous when facing trial.

However, Inoue Hideka never expected that Misaka Mikoto's first words would be this.

"What?" After a moment of stunned silence, Inoue Hideka asked, puzzled.

"You suffered so much all by yourself, why didn't you tell me and Saten? Are we really that unreliable to you, you bastard!"

Perhaps afraid of disturbing Saten Ruiko inside, Misaka Mikoto's shoulders trembled, but she lowered her voice and spoke to Inoue Eika in a low, almost roaring tone.

"..." Inoue Hideka stared in shock at Misaka Mikoto, whose attitude was completely different from what he had expected. After about two seconds of stunned silence, Inoue Hideka finally understood why Misaka Mikoto was so angry.

However, after understanding the situation, Inoue Hideka felt relieved.

As expected, Misaka Mikoto is still the same Misaka Mikoto, not the Misaka Mikoto from the fake world.

At this moment, she was thinking about how much she had suffered, not about how she had deceived her feelings.

Having figured this out, Inoue Eika stood up from the sofa, patted Misaka Mikoto's head with her large hand, gently ruffled her hair which was a bit longer than before, and whispered:

"You're the idiot! It's all in the past, why are you still bothered by it?"

"But……"

However, those painful memories will not disappear just because the wounds have healed.

Misaka Mikoto raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and looked at Inoue Eika. When she met Inoue Eika's increasingly deep eyes, she didn't say anything more.

Inoue Hideka's eyes were even more profound than when I last saw him a few days ago.

But within this profound depth, Misaka Mikoto felt a love for herself that was even stronger than before.

The memory storage device only contains memories up to the start of World War III.

So, what happened during Inoue Hidekazu's search for the demon god these past few days that is not mentioned, that made him the way he is now?

Looking into Inoue Hideka's eyes, Misaka Mikoto's urge to ask her more questions gradually disappeared.

This person never talks about how much effort they've put in.

Misaka Mikoto knew that if she hadn't taken this opportunity to confess to her, she probably would never have known what this idiot was hiding.

So naturally, he couldn't tell himself what he had experienced in the past few days.

but.

Misaka Mikoto clenched her fists. After the disappearance of Inoue Eika and the near-death experience of Saten Ruiko, she had thought a lot.

In conclusion.

I will never again leave this idiot in front of me to bear those things alone.

"Alright, shall we host a welcome feast for Ruiko?" Seeing that Misaka Mikoto's expression had brightened, Inoue Hideka suggested to her with a smile.

"I-I know, you idiot! Let me go first!" Misaka Mikoto broke free from Inoue Hideka's hands and walked towards the kitchen first.

Inoue Hideka watched Misaka Mikoto flee in disarray, shook her head with a wry smile, and followed her into the kitchen.

Not long after that.

About five or six minutes after Inoue Eika and Misaka Mikoto went into the kitchen, Saten Ruiko's door opened.

Saten Ruiko rushed out with an expectant look on her face, ran excitedly towards the kitchen, and shouted loudly:

"Eika! Misaka-senpai!"

Upon opening the kitchen door and seeing Inoue Hideka and Misaka Mikoto, Saten Ruiko exclaimed in disbelief:

"I'm really healed! I'm completely recovered! Misaka-senpai, Eika! I'm so happy! I don't have to leave you anymore!"

When Inoue Hideka and Misaka Mikoto saw Saten Ruiko, who was lively and energetic, a look of surprise flashed in their eyes.

Misaka Mikoto, who witnessed Saten Ruiko's transformation from weakness to near bedriddenness, was even more so. As if afraid she was dreaming, Misaka Mikoto rushed to Saten Ruiko's side and touched her all over to check on her condition.

"Ouch, it itches! Misaka-senpai, stop touching me! I'm really fine now, haha!"

It seems that Saten Ruiko has indeed recovered, and she is once again radiating her former vitality.

Inoue Hideka stood there, smiling at the two of them, her eyes filled with happiness and contentment.

“Eika…” After speaking to Misaka Mikoto, Saten Ruiko walked up to Inoue Eika, who was only smiling but remained silent: “Eika… meeting you is the greatest luck of my life!”

There's absolutely no need to say thank you or anything like that.

What is a demon god?

It is the pyramid of the world's fighting power, a god who can easily solve the ailments that even the best doctors in Academy City cannot cure.

What merit or ability does Inoue Hideka possess to be able to invite the other party to treat him?

Saten Ruiko could imagine the hardships that had taken place.

Therefore, Saten Ruiko is very lucky to have someone who would go to such lengths for her, remaining loyal and devoted until death.

"Yes, I'm here, I'm here!" Inoue Eika patted Saten Ruiko's back, comforting her softly.

Then she looked up at Misaka Mikoto and said, "Mikoto, there's something I want to talk to Ruiko about alone, is that alright?"

"Okay, I understand." Having just experienced Inoue Eika's frankness, Misaka Mikoto roughly guessed what Inoue Eika wanted to say, and understandingly withdrew from the kitchen.

Before closing the door, Euthinus, standing at the door, suddenly said, "I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."

“Hmm… okay!” Inoue Hideka thought for a moment and then realized what Othinus meant by ‘other things’.

It must be a problem with Touma Kamijou's brain, right?

Although Inoue Eika didn't mention it to Othinus after returning to the real world, Othinus could still see her experiences in the virtual world, presumably because she went to help Kamijou Touma recover his brain.

After that, only Inoue Eika and Saten Ruiko remained in the room.

Inoue Hideka moved two stools over and sat down opposite Saten Ruiko.

"What does Eika want to tell me?" Saten Ruiko asked, puzzled.

“If, I mean if…” Inoue Eika carefully chose her words and said to Saten Ruiko, “If I were to follow Mikoto in death, Ruiko… would you blame me?”

In the fictional world, when Othinus issued Saten Ruiko's death ultimatum, Inoue Hideka lost the will to live and only wanted to die.

At the time, it wasn't that he didn't consider Misaka Mikoto's feelings, but rather that he simply didn't have the energy to think about the issue.

Perhaps Inoue Hideka himself had a low tolerance for losing someone important, or perhaps he was too grief-stricken to think about living. In any case, he really didn't think about what Misaka Mikoto should do in the future.

But this doesn't mean he dislikes Misaka Mikoto, or that he values ​​Saten Ruiko more than Misaka Mikoto.

He simply shut himself off the moment he learned that his beloved was going to die, becoming completely immersed in grief and unable to extricate himself. All he could think about was the person who was about to leave.

Similarly, what if Misaka Mikoto and Saten Ruiko switched positions?

If Misaka Mikoto were to die while Saten Ruiko were unharmed, Inoue Hideka would have done the same thing.

This was beyond his control. It can only be said that at the time, his heart was too weak, or he valued his emotions too much, to the point of losing his rationality.

No way!

Saten Ruiko answered Inoue Hideka's question without hesitation, smiled, and continued:

"Because, Eika... is still Eika! That's the Eika I know! If Misaka-senpai died, and Eika barely survived for me, and then tried to live happily with me, I think I would probably... leave such an Eika?"

"After all, although this is definitely not the result that Misaka-senpai wanted to see, neither Eika nor I could bear to see Misaka-senpai all alone in another world!"

"Yes, it was Ruiko's answer after all." Inoue Eika was very pleased that Ruiko Saten thought the same way she did.

"However, there's one more thing I need to explain to Ruiko." Inoue Eika's eyes turned serious, and now it was time to get down to business.

Regarding his biggest secret, Inoue Hideka did not want it to become a barrier between himself, Saten Ruiko, and Misaka Mikoto in the future; he wanted to give them both a fair chance to choose.

Whether to stay or leave, Inoue Hideka hopes that the two of them can choose for themselves.

Misaka Mikoto has already made her decision, so now it's Saten Ruiko's turn.

"Relax, I will use Shokuhou's ability to transmit the information to your brain. After you read it, Ruiko, just tell me your decision."

“Hmm…” Saten Ruiko obediently responded.

Immediately afterwards, a large amount of information suddenly flooded into Saten Ruiko's mind.

Chapter 507 Unease Sets Away, Magic Disappears

After Othinus arrived in Academy City, the world quietly underwent a change.

First, in a secluded place, Inoue Hideka took Othinus to meet Aleister, the de facto ruler of Academy City.

The group reached some kind of agreement and secretly devised a plan.

During this time, Touma Kamijou's brain also returned to normal.

Inoue Hideka told him about Shokuhou Misaki's situation. After some argument and a calm discussion, Kamijou Touma promised Inoue Hideka that he would take good care of Shokuhou Misaki and protect her from any further harm.

Then, a series of major events occurred.

Following the method shown to him by Inoue Hidekazu, Othinus continued to manufacture the Spear of God, and then, at the same time as in the original work, at his secret base in Tokyo Bay, Ship Ranch, he subjected Kamijou Touma to the same torment as in the original work.

Ultimately, having come to understand Othinus, Touma Kamijou decides to protect Othinus, who has been transformed into a fairy by magic, after Othinus chooses to return to the world where Touma Kamijou resides.

at this time.

The demons, who were living a carefree life in seclusion, noticed the changes in Touma Kamijou.

The power of the demon gods is so great that they can distort the world at will, but after distorting it, the demon gods cannot guarantee that they can absolutely restore the world to its original state.

Therefore, the demons set up a safeguard that could restore the world to its original state.

That is, the illusion killer on Touma Kamijou's right hand.

Originally, Imagine Breaker was a power that existed to save all the demons, but when Touma Kamijou decided to fight against the whole world to protect Othinus and become Othinus's 'understanding person', Imagine Breaker could no longer put their minds at ease.

Unbeknownst to them, they turned to pursuing a 'substitute' for Imagine Breaker, thus causing a portion of the power to leak out elsewhere.

And so, the force that was the counterpart to the Illusion Killer—Ideal Exile—was born.

The ideal exile can banish those who, due to the repetition of desires, cling to the present world while also yearning for a new world, to the remaining realm of the same timeline, that is, another world, thereby erasing their existence.

At the same time, the ideal banishment, like the illusion killer, also resides in a boy's right hand.