Chapter 49: What It Means
---30th September 8:40p.m.---
Vento was still chasing after him, but she stumbled upon some bodies on the way and even tripped over them.
"Tch, this fucker's also just as fucked up as me."
But instead of feeling annoyed, a smile widened on her lips.
"Good good...For all that heroic shit that he spat out, he still had a bit of that villain within him."
She continued walking over the dead corpses but then a bullet rang out from the dark and it shot a metal object beside her. She wasn't fazed by the bullet, but something came out from the metal object beside her.
A white hot air sprayed her face and it made her cough.
It was steam.
"Shit, you're really testing your luck, ain't ya?! Accelerator!!"
She swung her hammer around as the wind amassed and created a stake that shot right in front of her and it tore through the darkness and when it came into contact with something, blood splattered all over the floor in front of her.
"Heh, all that playing around sure paid off, didn't it?"
She slowly approached her target, but when it came into view, it was someone else's body. In particular it was one of the soldiers which he had killed.
"You're really fucked up, aren't ya?"
"I'm glad you look at me that way."
His voice echoed around her. Wherever she was, she was definitely led into a different place than before. Its confines were smaller and there was little room for her to work with.
But she could just break it apart.
He knows it.
"This is where I beat you with science."
"Tch, what the fuck are you trying to say?!"
Even more blood started escaping her lips as she got on the ground again and when she touched the floor, she realized there was something smooth on the floor. It wasn't the surface, but there was a smooth liquid scattered all over the floor that was not her blood.
There was no smell to it, it was just smooth.
"What are you trying to do?"
She was weak as she laid on the floor, but Accelerator didn't care.
She got up from the slippery floor although shakily, but she still managed to get up. The moment she got up however, his voice echoed once more.
"Catch."
Something was flying at her but she couldn't make out its shape in the dark, all she knew was that she wasn't the one who was going to break it.
A gunfire was heard and whatever that was in front of her exploded and it splashed right in her face.
Due to her always being invulnerable to gunshots, she didn't even close her eyes at the possibility of being shot in the face, and when the sparks from the barrel weren't visible to her, it was all the more of a reason for her not to close her eyes.
The liquid entered her eyes and she immediately felt a burning sensation within her eyes.
"Aaaaaahhhh!!! What the fuck did you do?!"
She tried to move away, but she slipped on the floor and crashed into a shelf full of heavy containers that probably contained what he had just thrown at her.
Now she was completely blind.
All she could see was the darkness.
Her eyes were burning red but the containers were forcing her arms down so she couldn't even lift her hands up to scratch it.
"See this? Oh wait, I forgot, you can't. Well, whatever. This is what you call true villainy, and this is part of the aesthetics of being a villain. You should take down some notes."
The crate which was covering her head was pulled off and she felt the barrel of a gun at her face.
"You are simply not cut out to be a villain. I don't know what this shitty world has done to you, but it's better for you to forget it."
"You think so little of me?!"
"Yeah, because your methods of causing pain are much different than mine. Forget about the cross and all of it's bullshit, there's no god in this world. Salvation is only a term to lure vulnerable people like you to the church."
Vento gritted her teeth at the darkness.
She was helpless.
"Then what about my brother?! How can science find an excuse for the death of my brother? The doctors couldn't get enough blood for both of us. They called around but could only gather enough for one of us. While we were waiting on the verge of death, the doctors told us something truly hopeless. They could only save one of us. And only I survived! My brother asked them to save me and they just let him die!!"
The blood continued flowing down her lips as her blinded eyes just happened to look at him.
"I hate science for what they did. I absolutely loathe it, that's why I followed the ways of the church and made my way up to the very top so I can have this power to destroy Academy City, the core of science and everything it was made up of!! Don't you feel the same if someone from the science side couldn't save your loved one?! Don't you?!"
"..."
Accelerator absolutely felt no pity for her, but in a way, he felt the same.
"The way of magic can save anyone, magic is the most powerful thing on this planet, it can create miracles and save someone, while science relies on pointless bullshit you all call theories."
"If magic can create a miracle, try getting out of this situation with magic."
Accelerator bent over and took the chain that was connected to her tongue. The glass shattering sound could be heard, and it meant that he had negated its effects. He wrapped it around his fist and he forcefully pulled it out.
"G-GAAHHHHHH!!!!!"
Vento screamed out in pain as the chain connected to her tongue was pulled out. Part of her tongue was pulled out in the process due to the heavy piercings that were connected to her tongue.
The cross hung beneath his fist and he simply ate the flesh that rested on top of his fist.
As he chewed on it, an enlightened smile appeared on his face.
"Damn, I've never tried tongue before but this sure tastes great. You would definitely give good head."
"You're pure evir!! Rhis is why I hae sciece!!"
She couldn't pronounce a lot of the words as her tongue was now in half. She tried to struggle her way out, but it was futile.
"GYAHAHAHAHA!! That's right, and you could never compare yourself to me. This is the difference between us. It has nothing to do with science and magic anymore. Science also made me this way, but you don't see me exacting revenge on science."
"Why ish jat sho?"
"Because it's pointless. I didn't even wish for this power that I have, but I'm still here because I want to protect what's important to me, and what I still have left. You should try thinking about that. As I said, your villainy is just too cheap, killing you is just not worth my time."
"..."
Vento had nothing else to say at this point as she stared blankly into the dark void.
"I don't know if you have any friends or allies, but seeing as how you're alone, I take it you're just a loner. Reflect on yourself and stop finding dumb reasons to fight, someone like you can never understand what it means to be a villain, and if you want a friend, come and fight me again. Whether I'll show mercy is completely up to you. At least you had someone early in your life who showed you kindness and compassion so treasure it well."
With that, Accelerator turned the gun around and slammed the stock right in her face as hard as he could.
He didn't know whether she was knocked out, or asleep because of the lack of blood, but his goal still remained the same.
"Time to get back on track. I only spared you because I owe you half for helping me take care of those Hound Dog soldiers."
Accelerator threw the cross on the ground as he slowly limped away from her, this time he was ready to fight.
---30th September 8:55p.m.---
Accelerator was standing in a filthy back alley.
On his way to where he was, he saw a tremendous light covering the center of the district.
Countless wings swept out from the center of the light. Those dozens of wings were as sharp as blades. Each individual one measured from ten to one hundred meters and they spread out high, high into the sky as if to defy heaven.
Those wings seemed to have destroyed every sort of human construct around it as there were no buildings around it. They looked like giant peacock feathers made of crystal.
He had returned to District 7, but this along with what he saw on his phone did not put him at ease.
Earlier, his phone had a notification from a message but he was too busy with Vento that he did not have time to check it. But when the dust settled and there were no more disturbances, he saw who that message was from.
It was Mitsuari Ayu.
Along with that were also messages from Hokaze who was worried about him, sending him messages like:
"Where are you? The van is gone."
"Are you okay?"
"The doctor said there were no extra battery left."
"I hope you're not planning on fighting alone."
"Hello?"
"There seems to be a few suspicious people here."
Followed by…
"It's okay! I dealt with them already!"
"Did you see those things in the sky? Be careful, something's happening to this city."
Those were relieving messages to see, but on Mitsuari's end, there were only three pictures.
The first one was Last Order on a table with electrodes attached to her forehead.
The next one was Mitsuari sitting in a corner with bloodied ropes covering her mouth with a few more ropes around her wrist and feet.
But the last one made Accelerator's heart race with anxiety. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth as he looked at the last photo. His mind slowly tearing itself from sanity.
It was a photo of Ester with her feet and wrists unbound but her face was bloodied and bruised beyond recognition. Her eyes were barely visible, but he could tell they were definitely devoid of life.
He had lost another one.
That had set him off.
But then his phone rang as if the caller had been waiting for this moment. The screen displayed the name 'Mitsuari'.
Without hesitation, he answered the call and a very, very loud voice struck his ear before he even brought the phone up for it.
"You've finally seen the message! Gya ha ha ha!!"
A creaking noise came from the phone in his hand.
His pupils thrashed about. The emotions roiling within him seemed to scatter out around him.
"What do you want Kihara-kuuuun?"
"Just having a bit of fun. In both shogi and chess, the game isn't over until you announce your victory. People used to do this all the time. You need to enjoy every second of some annoying shit being crushed before your eyes. Is there any better way to enjoy victory?"
"Victory? Don't make me laugh."
"Ha ha! I know you saw those messages. The app she was using had those two little ticks that would color itself the moment the person on the other end saw those messages. Testaments sure are amazing, sticking a virus in a human's head isn't normal. Ha ha!! The brat is trembling like crazy, let me send you a video of it later on!"
Accelerator's face completely paled.
"(Is this why they abducted that brat?!)"
Amata was doing almost the exact same thing as Amai Ao. He was using a brainwashing machine to directly rewrite Last Order's brain. Accelerator had no idea what commands were being added, but this was not something any normal person could do. This was as profane an act as rubbing a handful of semen into her brain.
"Y'know, you just don't understand. Not killing your enemies is definitely an effective technique. After all, there is such a thing as a living hell. Those who mistakenly believe the most frightening thing in the world is death will be unable to withstand the pressure. My men have shown that well enough. But..." Amata let out a dry breath. He sounded like a teacher disappointed with his student's incompetence. "I know the truth, so it won't work on me. It's obvious as fuck you're just putting on an act. Here's a lesson for you, you brat. Corpses may be a work of art, but they only have value when the guy's dead. Ending their life is the same as finishing up the face of a sculpture. Your art isn't ready to be displayed in a gallery yet. The hell do you think you're doing randomly chipping away at some stone and leaving it lying around? That's rude to the hunk of flesh. So I'll teach you by example. I'll show you just how to make some pretty-looking meat. Try not to lose it when you see what's left of them!!"
The laugh that followed seemed as if it would break the speaker.
"Touch any one of them anymore and I'll fucking rip your heart out. In the first place I don't even think you have a heart, you piece of trash! So I'll rip out the thing that's most important to you."
Accelerator had a wide smile on his face as his palm slammed against the wall.
"I'll fucking rip your brain out and hang you at the building where the Chairman is so the whole of Academy City can see how pathetic the greatest Kihara researcher is!"
But Amata ignored his threats as he continued laughing loudly through the speaker. It seemed like Accelerator's threats were nothing but mere hollow threats. He was all bark but no bite.
"Can you really say that when you can't even defeat me, you fucking brat? Don't lie to yourself here. You can't beat me, that's why I'm going to enjoy making your life hell by killing all those around you."
"Shut up, you don't even have any rights to say anything you fucking lapdog. The farther you sink inside the darkness, the more you're bound by the power of hierarchy. Isn't that right, slave dog Kihara-kun."
"Hey now, you fucking brat, I still have one more play toy with me, don't you dare try to scare me."
"You can say that, but you're not going to do anything to Last Order because you're not allowed to, aren't ya, Kihara-kuuuun."
"I'll fucking kill the other girl."
"You can try, but you'll never be able to break me if you don't kill Last Order so you've fucking lost you slave!"
Accelerator immediately hung up the call as he slid his phone back into his pocket and then he placed that hand on his face as he started thinking about his next plan.
"(That bastard would have probably gouged out one of Last Order's eyes to get back at me, but since he didn't, he's probably being backed up by Academy City itself. Knowing that bastard, he wouldn't just pick up Last Order and torture her without some motive in mind.)"
His taunts at Amata was just a gamble to see how he would react and it seemed to work in his favor.
"Holy fucking shit...ha ha...GYA HA HA HA HA HA!!!"
Then he pulled his palm away from the wall as he flicked the switch on his choker.
"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!!!" He shouted.
Even though he was surrounded by concrete walls, he knew where his target was. He knew where the exact coordinates of the Windowless Building.
That was where the Chairman was located.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
Accelerator stuck his hand into a nearby concrete wall. He manipulated the vectors so his arm sank in as easily as if the wall was made of tofu. Accelerator shouted so loud blood came from his throat and he moved his arm complexly around in the wall.
He took control of all of the vectors.
A great roar exploded out.
In that instant, earth's rotation slowed by about five minutes for September 30.
His arm took the massive energy of the planet's rotation and used his vector control to transform it into a demonic strike.
The concrete wall he forcibly gouged out was thrown with frightening speed. Accelerator stood in an alley surrounded by buildings, but the several buildings between him and his target were torn through like paper.
His worries about his surroundings and unrelated people had completely evaporated for an instant as he threw it.
He was over two kilometers from his target.
The Windowless Building was the world's strongest shelter which was said to be the fortress of Aleister, the Chairman of Academy City's Board of Directors.
It was said that giant structure would not budge even from the shockwave of a nuclear weapon.
The attack flew with frightening speed.
A tremendous storm of noise exploded out. It did not matter that Accelerator was over two kilometers away. It blew straight through two or three unmanned banks and government office buildings, shot between two buildings on the other side of a street, tore off an electronic billboard attached to the side of a high-rise building, and shot straight toward the target. He had not given it any thought that someone could get hurt.
Gray dust blew into the air. His vision was temporarily obstructed.
The dust hung in the air for a while.
Finally, his vision cleared up.
It spread out before him.
"..."
That strike had used the full power of Academy City's strongest esper and had taken the rotational energy of the earth itself, but even that had not been enough to bring down the Windowless Building.
The result was clear.
The wall remained as large as ever.
"GAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! Fuck you, Academy City!!!!"
Accelerator had manipulated the vectors from his voice and made it sound out within the whole of District 7 as he collapsed to his knees and slammed his fist into the puddle of water beneath him. He slammed the floor so hard that he exploded the ground beneath him. Sharp spikes rose up from the earth as he sunk further into the crater. He had never felt so helpless against a foe like Kihara Amata.
He was playing with his feelings as the rain poured down on him, it hit his body like shards of ice.
Academy City had triggered the monster once again.
No matter what he did, he could not reach Aleister. Some unknown technique had been used to disperse the impact and he had no proof Aleister was even really there. The entire building could be a decoy. But it did not matter. None of it mattered anymore.
The only word resounding in his head was...
"Kill"
He had no one to ask for help. He was all alone again.
But he thought it was perfect.
Everything was going as he had expected.
"(This is good...this is fucking good...I'll kill him...I'll kill everyone...I'll fucking destroy this place from the ground up. That's how it is. That's how it has always been!!)"
He unsteadily stood up using the shotgun cane as he stared up into the sky. It was as if he was being baptized by the rain.
"Ha ha...ha ha ha...GYA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!"
His laugh was silent in the cold night, but it felt so powerful.
"(You're not ready for this Academy City.)"
He switched off his electrode as he sunk further into the darkness.
--------------------
A huge crash shook the entire office building that Kihara Amata was in.
But he simply shrugged it off.
"That fucking brat. When he shows his face, I'll fucking kill him."
Amata tossed aside Mitsuari's phone as he sat back on his chair while observing the white wings in the sky.
"But who would have thought the Board Chairman was this cold-hearted."
Amata had front row seats to the wings in the sky as the building he was in was approximately 2 kilometers away from the site of the devastation.
Every now and then, the center of those wings would roar and cause a great disturbance to his men and his captives, but he only felt chills from it.
Chills that simplified his feelings of excitement.
"Woooo...this is fuckin' amazing!"
Amata got up as he walked towards Mitsuari who was still cowering in one corner, but this time her fear had been alleviated thanks to the distant shouting of Accelerator.
She knew he was coming soon.
Now it was just a matter of time.
But that didn't mean Amata would stop his torture.
He simply lifted one leg and rested it on Mitsuari's forehead. She had no other choice but to let him do as he please as one wrong word of move might get her beaten up like Ester.
"You know, I wouldn't usually bring others into this mess and simply harm them. This was also an order from Aleister, the Board Chairman of Academy City." He said uninterestingly. "He wanted this for the both of you. He wanted to break apart Accelerator's brain. Ha ha, it's so sickening I'm starting to wonder if he is even human at all."
"..."
Mitsuari only kept silent as he continued tormenting her. In the first place she couldn't even speak as ropes were wrapped around her head in order to keep her silent.
"But even if I was instructed to harm the both of you, I think I would prefer to keep one of you alive."
"...?"
Mitsuari raised one of her eyebrow at his statement as a thin smile plastered itself on his face.
"Think about it. If I were to only harm one of you, while keeping the other alive, what do you think Accelerator would assume?" He pushed his leg off her forehead as he knelt in front of her. That was when she knew what he was scheming.
"That's right. His trust in you would drop. In the event if I were to die, I can still cause pain to one of you. He would think 'why didn't she block some of the attacks for her?' or 'why wasn't she hurt instead?' Right now, I don't know which one of you is the more important one, but it's human psychology that makes people bias. People have preferences, it's a normal thing."
Then he turned his back as he walked towards the lifeless body of Ester whose breathing was becoming even more shallow by the minute due to the blood loss from the bullet holes.
"So, if someone more important to him were to die, while the other one is as clean as the walls on the Windowless Building, he would start to wonder who can he really trust with his life? Ha ha, also I was using your phone to contact him and you are still undamaged, wouldn't that mean you willingly gave it to me?"
Amata glanced back at her as he crouched in front of Ester. His smile slowly widening up like a kid who received the latest PlayStation device. It was simply too entertaining for him.
"You're fucked, little ant. There's nothing you can do to convince him that you're reliable. His mind is probably so fucked up his ears are blocked out."
"Mmmfff!!!!"
Mitsuari tried to let out a rebelling shout but her mouth was too hung up in the ropes that nothing would come out and Amata laughed like a jester as he pulled one of the bullets that were easy to catch with the eye from Ester's body.
He was simply trying to quicken her death, and if she were to survive by a miracle, the bullets that he could not see would be stuck inside her body, causing her body to be receptive to poisoning and potentially shorten her lifespan.
He had purposefully shot her non-vital points so she could suffer even more. Mitsuari knew that as well.
"This is a Kihara. Don't you forget that, little ant."
----30th September 9:20p.m.----
Smooth sailing.
That term best described Thomas Platinumburg's life.
He had been born into a wealthy family, lived a comfortable life, received an excellent education, won big with some bold business deals, and as a result gained a massive fortune and authority. Not counting Aleister, there were only twelve members of Academy City's board of directors and he had been selected at the exceptionally young age of his late thirties. He viewed that as the trophy that symbolized the life he had lived.
He had never once failed and he would walk only the path of success in the future as well.
He believed that with his whole heart.
He had never told this to anyone, but he felt it would not be hard for him to eventually hold all of Academy City in his hand as the board chairman. This was not an ambitious dream of his. He simply assumed that would naturally be the case if he did his best. Never in his wildest dream would he have imagined that he would open his front door, have a shotgun pressed against his chest, and be blown back five meters when the trigger was pulled.
"..."
Accelerator watched with cold eyes as the nouveau riche man was launched through the air. It seemed like he was so happy-go-lucky that he never expected someone to shoot him right in the chest with a shotgun. His organs exploded out as his guts showered Accelerator, his intestines and organs lying out on the ground with a mushy sound as his body spasmed from the gunshot.
Accelerator faced the shotgun down and onto the ground as he walked towards Thomas. He pressed his hand on the wall on top of the almost dead man and he faced the shotgun at his face.
He had no hesitation and no remorse for what he was about to do.
He didn't give a damn whether he was involved in this or not. Only one thing remained clear.
He was about to die.
The man looked at Accelerator with pleading eyes as tears flowed down his cheek, but Accelerator smiled back at him as he tilted his head.
Another blast sounded out inside the mansion and his brains splattered out on the ground with another mush.
His blood had reached all the way to Accelerator's white and grey clothes, some on his pants and drops of blood on his face.
Accelerator's hand was trembling.
But not out of fear, but out of excitement. It was the adrenaline getting back at him as he shivered.
"Fuck...this feels so good..."
Accelerator walked into the mansion while his dripping wet clothes created dark stains on the luxurious carpet. Despite how much careful attention had been given to each individual item within it, the mansion itself was rather small. For that reason, it looked more like a cottage than a full-sized house.
Each individual piece of furniture was valuable enough to buy an entire house with.
Accelerator glanced into various rooms and spotted men and women who seemed to be workers sleeping on beds, sofas, and the floor. That may have been why the nouveau riche man had answered the door himself.
It seemed like they had not woken up due to the heavy rain, or possibly they assumed that it was just a lightning strike. But one thing was certain, they were not getting out of their rooms. Accelerator locked the rooms before breaking the handle on the doors. He didn't want any interruptions midway through his findings.
Accelerator found the man's office and walked over to the large ebony desk. It looked like an antique, but a portion of the polished surface rose up to reveal an LCD monitor and keyboard when a button was pressed. It made no noise as it moved. It was as easy to use as a black luxury car.
It had a few key locks, but Accelerator unlocked them all after a short delay. They did not use biometrics such as a fingerprint or retina scan. Most likely, the man had realized the danger of having his hand or head taken off to get past it. And Accelerator would have done just that.
The thirty-inch monitor displayed data a normal person would never see.
He found a number of documents on policy within Academy City. The topics addressed were going in one direction, but that may have been the man's field of expertise. The mountain of data appeared meaningless, but Accelerator was afraid of overlooking some important document if he skimmed too quickly through it. However, it would take days to carefully read through all of it.
While growing more and more impatient, Accelerator finally found the data he wanted.
"This is it."
It was information on Hound Dog.
An unknown threat was attacking Academy City and Last Order had been quickly retrieved to fight it. It almost made him laugh, but it seemed those bastards thought they were playing the role of the heroes protecting the city.
He felt like spitting on the floor.
If their ideals were really that admirable, they should have used themselves as shields first. Hoping to be praised for making that little brat suffer was getting carried away.
"What is this?"
Accelerator stopped breathing as he continued looking through the data. It seemed the Board of Directors were trying to oppose this threat by writing a virus into Last Order's mind. That meant they could not allow Last Order to die at least until this threat was gone.
He had to assume that the threat they were talking about was that magician named Vento. In which case, his heart started to race. He had already eliminated the threat, which meant they were free to kill Last Order now.
"Goddamnit...!!"
But the more he thought about it, the more he thought he was safe. The fact that Amata had not shot a gun meant that he had not been updated that the threat was already eliminated.
But it was only a matter of time that he was updated.
He had approximately four minutes left on his battery, but he shook his head as he continued skimming through the contents of the document. He knew how easily Amata could counter him, that's why he could not rely on his powers anymore. He had to rely on his hand-to-hand combat which was non-existent to his dismay.
But he also had the use of weapons
"Bingo."
He quickly found the point where Hound Dog was waiting.
"(I've found youuuuu, Kihara. Get ready, 'cause I'm about to unleash hell on you.)"
The mansion contained a few different hunting weapons.
Accelerator searched until he found some bullets that matched the ones for his shotgun. He loaded them and then left the building.
---------------------
Kihara Amata was in his office chair sitting back and assigning his men to designated locations so they could ambush the Accelerator.
In the first place, the device which he used to throw off Accelerator's wind calculation patterns could have been given out to them, but he didn't do so as he wanted to be the one to put Accelerator down.
Maybe it could be called naivety but he felt that it was worthless to even give it to them as he could always alter the vectors under his foot and he still had his redirection field, so giving it to them would have probably been wasted resources.
All of their equipment and weapons were funded by the Board of Directors to carry this out which meant he had free reign over the city right now. The district was under the command of the Kihara family right now. Which meant whoever he wanted to kill would be killed except for the select few who managed to fend them off.
One of which being the ringlet curls Tokiwadai girl.
"(Tch, she's just a level 4 but it's hard to believe that she incapacitated them all the way until tomorrow. Plus the reports said that those dogs I sent out after her were now being treated in the hospital. Guess after all of this is over, I gotta pay them a visit myself.)"
Amata was ruthless, so when he talked about paying a visit, it wasn't like an accomplice visiting their injured friend. He was merely talking about how he would 'fire' them.
"Send ten people down to the first floor, after that have five of you stay here, and then...maybe send fifteen people to patrol the area around the building. And then the rest of them steal some more cars and drive around. Avoid coming into contact with the public, make sure they don't get seen."
"Yes sir!"
The solider in black who he had commanded ran out the office, leaving six of them along with the three other hostages.
"But damn Aleister! To be able to create something unscientific using scientific means. You really are a fucking genius. And to be able to break the Accelerator just like this, you really are crueler than the Kihara family gya ha ha ha ha ha!!!"
None of his men could understand what was so good about this situation. After all, they were just powerless adults in this city full of freaks like the Accelerator. They would never be able to understand the magnificence of science.
"Look at this you worthless and untalented fucks. This is what we're aiming for and this is what you will be contributing to from here on out." Amata turned his back to the massive window as he faced his soldiers in black.
Mitsuari Ayu slowly crept towards Ester who was barely breathing at this point, but she showed signs of life every now and then as she looked up at Amata who was basking under the light from the wings ahead.
But also, she was still holding on to the hope that Accelerator would arrive soon. Even as her soul and body was being beaten out of her, she still held on to his light. The light which the #1 holds.
And her calls would soon be answered.
A glass shattering sound could be heard and the white haired boy finally showed up. He was already in esper mode.
The man in black closest to the window was knocked to the opposite wall by Accelerator's flying kick. The Hound Dog member struck the thin inner wall and he flew through as his armored uniform fell to pieces just as he collapsed to the floor.
His deep red eyes rolled around in his head, but he still managed to accurately lock on to his target.
"Kiiiihara-kuuuuuuuun!!" he shouted as he aimed his shotgun and unhesitatingly brought his finger to the trigger.
He was aiming at everything from the man's chest to his gut.
He intended to utterly kill him.
Meanwhile, Amata shoved one of his subordinates forward. "Wah!" cried the man in black as he was forced forward to act as Amata's shield.
Countless shot struck the Hound Dog man. His blood splattered about and he collapsed. Kihara did not care. He was laughing so hard it looked like his face was going to break apart.
"Don't you know how to aim!? You're just getting in everyone's way if you don't!!"
Accelerator ignored the obvious provocation.
He sent a glance racing along the other men in black who were frantically holding up their weapons.
"(These shields are in the goddamn way...)"
He gritted his teeth.
He manipulated the vectors of his leg strength, altered his aim from Amata to the Hound Dogs, and charged right up to one of them. Ignoring his shotgun, he stretched out his hand. The man's uniform had a knife, a handgun, and other weapons attached.
Near the shoulder, he had four grenades.
Accelerator was aiming for them.
He used his index finger to little finger to pull all four pins.
With no pause whatsoever, Accelerator kicked the man in the gut, sending him flying back and knocking over one Hound Dog member as if he was a bowling pin.
The man on the top frantically reached for the grenades still attached to his uniform.
And then the human bomb detonated.
These were fragmentation grenades, so they sent flesh and blood flying in every direction.
He made sure that Mitsuari and Ester were as far as possible before kicking the Hound Dog member into the corner that Mitsuari was previously cowering in, which made Mitsuari heave a sigh of relief through the ropes that she wasn't in that corner.
She had finally made it to Ester's side.
This left one Hound Dog member and Kihara Amata alive.
"Ee!?"
Accelerator glared at the last Hound Dog member who immediately grabbed something lying on a desk. It was Last Order's limp form after forcible use of the Testament had left her unconscious.
Accelerator was armed with a shotgun that could not be aimed carefully.
The man must have assumed Accelerator could not aim if he had a hostage.
However...
"..."
The look in Accelerator's eyes changed. An explosive noise rang out. He manipulated the vectors of his leg strength to shoot right next to the Hound Dog member in an instant.
The man had been right about one thing: Accelerator did not fire the shotgun.
Instead, he swung the meter-long piece of metal straight into the Hound Dog man's face.
He swung it so hard the shotgun was smashed to pieces. The small springs and the cylindrical shells contained within the magazine flew through the air. With a dull noise, the man's body rotated four times like a bamboo copter before crashing to the floor and not moving.
After the man let go of her, Accelerator caught Last Order in midair with one arm and placed her gently on top of the table.
He then stared at Kihara Amata, the source of all his problems.
The troops protecting the man had been wiped out.
But Amata only laughed as if this only left less he had to deal with.
"Oh, how badass!! If this is how you do things, I think I might be falling for you, Accelerator!!"
"It's time you were scrapped, you piece of shit!!"
The two villains' shouts reverberated through the air.
Accelerator pulled out a Colt Python revolver from his back pocket as he aimed it at Amata. He had grabbed this weapon when he was at the riche man's mansion.
He aimed the 8 inch barrel revolver at Amata but Amata was unfazed by that threat because he knew the Accelerator would not be able to handle its recoil.
But to his shock, Accelerator handled it perfectly.
A loud blast rang throughout the office as he shot the first bullet and it grazed Amata's cheek. He pulled down the hammer with a click and aimed it right at Amata's face again soon after shooting the first bullet.
"Ha! You're really somethin' aren't ya, Acclerator!!!"
"Fucking die, Kihara!!!!"
Another shot rang out in the office but this time Amata perfectly dodges it as he lowered his center of gravity to an inhumane level, going below Accelerator's knees.
When the 9mm bullet flew past his head, he immediately followed it up with an uppercut that sent Accelerator flying back into the office desk that Last Order was lying on.
"Ya know, I've had people aiming for my head. It's hard to say that I dodged JUST a bullet."
Amata cracked his fingers as he rotated his neck, producing a cracking noise at his spine.
"KIIIHAAAARAAAA!!!!"
Accelerator pulled down the hammer as he rushed forward with the revolver in his left hand. It was a weird way of fighting for him, but he had to get used to it. He stretched his left arm out while pointing his gun at Amata's head while pulling his right arm back.
The moment he was ready, he fired one bullet before pulling away and then using that momentum to drive his right fist towards wherever Kihara Amata was going.
But that was only if Amata had moved forward. If he took a step back instead, Accelerator's attack would have been meaningless.
Which was what he did.
The bullet flew forward, but Amata took a step back as he nudged his head slightly to the side, barely missing him and when the fist flew forward, Amata grinned as he threw his punch towards the oncoming fist.
It was too simple for him.
He had studied Accelerator's thought patterns and his power to know how much he needed to pull back and how much he needed to control.
It was as easy as stealing candy from an unprotected baby.
The two fists collided, with Amata coming out on top as he pushed his fist towards Accelerator's attack, making his wrist twist at an unusual angle and cracking it.
"Gah!!"
"GYA HA HA HA HA!!! How's that?!"
Amata pulled his leg up and he jabbed it right at his midriff. Although it was a jab, for Accelerator it was like having a bat swung into his core. It was painful as all hell.
That made Accelerator fall against the office desk again as the gun dropped from his hand. Amata was not letting him get off easy.
He didn't waste a single second as he proceeded to beat him using his two fists.
That was when Accelerator pulled up his left hand to guard him.
His right hand was still recovering, so he had to use whatever means necessary to defend himself.
And somehow, it worked.
Amata threw his usual punch, but this time, it didn't connect.
He didn't trigger the redirection field. He wasn't pushed back.
Nor was he attacked.
His fist just hung in the air as if he was waiting for Accelerator to fist bump him.
"Huh?"
Amata looked at Accelerator as he pulled back his fist yet again. Without a change in his confused face, he threw another punch, and this time it connected.
His punch this time felt even harder than the one his right hand suffered as his left hand met his face.
"Ah ah, I see. You're getting smarter, aren't ya Accelerator? Because I've found the formula for your redirection field, all you have to do is let go of it so you'll catch me off guard. Not bad. Not a bad fucking idea!!"
Amata pulled his leg up as he tried to stomp on Accelerator, but just as his feet was about to touch Accelerator, he felt the force of his foot being pushed back and that was when he was too late to realize Accelerator had played him for the fool. But it was also an accident on the esper's part as well because Accelerator had not noticed the one thing which made it possible to bypass his redirection field.
Amata had to always pull back to punch him. Which meant the solution was so simple. He just had to not redirect at all. This would also catch Amata off guard as well and he would probably be one or two second too late to counterattack.
Amata's feet pushed back along with him, as the bones in his feet cracked upon impact with the redirection field.
"Tch!!'
His right leg was now basically useless. When his right foot touched the ground after the excruciating pain, he felt even more as he tried to hold his leg together.
But even when he felt that much pain, his smile was still plastered to his face. The grin of a devil.
"You're gonna fuckin' regret that, you fucking brat!!"
Even with one leg, Amata forced himself to walk up towards Accelerator and the esper approached him more confidence and swagger this time round. He was confident he could beat Amata now.
When they were two meters apart from each other, Accelerator was the first one to throw the punch, but Amata simply dodged it easily by swaying his body to one side. But he didn't counter the esper with an attack. He simply let him attack without throwing an attack of his own.
Why was that so?
Amata was eyeing something while he was approaching Accelerator and his head was down.
It was as if he was avoiding eye contact with Accelerator, but after coming this far, Accelerator knew that wasn't his intention.
The answer was only evident once he swayed his body.
He tilted his body to such an unnatural degree so that he could pick up the weapon on the ground. But the moment he did that, he simply hopped back with that one leg of his.
Accelerator tried to catch him but he was simply evading all too well.
This was only someone with one goal.
Accelerator had too many things to think about, but Amata only had one clear objective.
To torment Accelerator.
He pulled the hammer of the gun back as he aimed it behind him without looking back. The long barrel was pointing towards Mitsuari Ayu and Ester Rosenthal. But because of the way they were lined up, Mitsuari was the one who was going to be shot.
"Ah!!"
"Accelerator! Choose now. Will you attack me and lose a loved one, or will you suffer one attack just to save them? Gya ha ha ha ha!!"
"You bitch!! Don't you fucking dare do that!!"
"Oh, but I dare."
The gunshot rang out towards the room and Amata with only one step away from laying his fist into Accelerator's face. Accelerator was stunned because if he left that position, Last Order who was behind him could also become a victim right after. This was really like a chess match now. The queen was pinned down behind him and he had to choose who to sacrifice.
But in the end, he couldn't choose.
So he threw his right fist forward as well.
"KIIIHAAAARRAAAAAA!!!!!"
"GYA HA HA!! Good fuckin' choice kid!!"
The two monsters' fists collided with each other, Accelerator's right fist falling short yet again as it bent unnaturally against him.
The bullet flying through the air was about to hit Mitsuari Ayu who was standing right in front of Ester.
She had a lot of places to go to, but her body wouldn't move. Because she knew that if she were to move even an inch, Ester would have been hit instead. But after all that she withstood for her, she still couldn't say 'Thank you' to her. The circumstances just did not allow it.
The bullet felt slow as it's impending doom closed in on her.
There was nothing she could do. To her eyes, the attack on her was imminent. She was going to die horribly with the same wound as Accelerator's forehead.
She closed her eyes as she accepted her fate.
But then a sudden force pulled her clothes back as a teardrop fell from the corner of her eye. She opened her eyes and she saw a blonde silhouette move past her and intercepted the bullet's path.
A squirting sound could be heard as that person stood in front of Mitsuari Ayu with clear weakness in her knees. She could barely stand up straight.
But she was still standing.
"Geez, how could you just accept death like that after all I've endured."
Ester turned her head back ever so slightly as a thin smile formed on her face. Her face was more healed up now compared to previously, so her words were much more pronounced now. Mitsuari could not believe what she was seeing as she turned her head back and forth. She kept glancing at the spot where Ester was and then back to her current position.
"(She's fast! But the gunshot...)"
Ester fell back on Mitsuari's thick and comfy knees. Her legs, arms and mouth was still being held back by the ropes but her eyes evidently showed a sign of pain.
Her previous single tear eventually increased to the point where there were several drops falling from her eyes. She bent her body forward as she towered over Ester.
"Ayu-chan...please take care...of Accelerator for me. He's not a bad person, and I know you're not...a bad person too." She was trying her best to catch any sort of breath within her capacity. The bullet shots were putting a lot of strain on her and its effects were starting to kick in her body. "I can rest easy if I were to...leave him in your hands...I didn't really want to go out...like this but I guess life is not fair...isn't it?"
Meanwhile, Accelerator was fighting for his life.
He had abandoned all hope as he just started to literally throw his hands around like a maniac. He had no real targets and he was just filled with rage and bloodlust. He was delirious at this point.
"KIIIHAAARAAAA!!! I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU GYA HA HA HA HA!!!!"
"COME ON YOU ARROGANT BITCH, I'LL FUCKIN' PUT YOU IN YOUR PLACE YOU FUCKING BRAT!!!"
Kihara had resorted to throwing jabs at Accelerator's way and if he didn't manage to hit when Accelerator put down his redirection field, he would just quickly hop back.
Accelerator was thinking, but his rage clouded his mind. He had no clear plan other than 'start fucking swinging'.
When Amata backed up, he could not put the pressure on him, as he did not want to tempt Amata to shoot another bullet from the chamber. The most embarrassing thing that Accelerator had to deal with was that he was being beaten with only one hand. Amata had his other hand occupied with the gun.
"Come on!! That all you got, you goddamn punk?!"
"Tch!!"
Every punch that landed on Accelerator's face was devastating as it shook him to his core. Especially considering the fact that he had just faced Vento earlier with barely any break in between. It was really a bad situation for him.
"Gah!!"
"You've slowed down, Accelerator!! Pick up the fucking pace if you really want to save these brats!!"
Accelerator's blood escaped his mouth yet again but before he laid himself before Amata, he stood his ground as he stared at the monster in front of him. He forced himself to look at that fucking monster in the eyes while the blood was running out of his mouth.
He scowled at him as he stood on his two feet. His head was dizzy but he felt a strong urge to continue fighting.
While puking out blood, Accelerator lowered his center of gravity to avoid Amata's attack. Then he threw his punch upward, just for Amata to dodge it again with a delightful smirk on his face.
Then he threw his injured right knee straight at Accelerator's face.
Accelerator's back flew up as he was cornered into the office desk yet again.
"What's wrong kid? Too tired? Gya ha ha ha!! You're much more pathetic than an old man like me. Good to know I still got the fight in me."
"(Goddamn it! If I have the time to bow down and vomit, I can use that time to fucking kill him!! What the fuck am I doiiiiiinnnnggg!!!!)"
Accelerator let out a roar as he took a step forward.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
His frustrations were released in that single howl as he clenched his fists.
"Did you think you could escape the darkness, ha!!?! Accelerator!!! No matter how much you squirm or crawl, you will never escape this fucking hell so give up."
"Fuck you. I know this dirt will never wash off of me, I know damn well that I can never be a hero for any one of them, but I fucking know damn well that someone has to do it! God fucking damn it, Kihara. You've reminded me of this fact for too long, I know it too fucking well, but this problem is between us, you didn't have to fucking involve them in our shit!!"
"These were orders, Accelerator. Orders."
"That's why you'll always be Academy City's lapdog."
The two of them clashed once again, but this time, it was Accelerator who fell short. Just as he was about to land a blow, he heard a quiet electronic beeping sound.
That tiny final notification had come from the choker-style electrode around his neck.
That mechanical sign indicated the end of his two minutes.
In other words, his battery was dead.
All strength left Accelerator and he collapsed to the dusty floor in front of Kihara Amata.
He could not keep his balance in any direction. He could not even make the "calculation" to determine which direction to push to get up. He could see a hand sprawled on the floor, but as he tried to count the number of fingers, he would lose track partway through.
The battery had died, so the electrode on Accelerator's neck was no longer functioning.
He could not use his powers, understand language, or even make simple calculations by counting on his fingers. He had difficulty controlling his body weight and center of gravity, so he could not even stand up properly, much less clench his fist and attack Amata.
The abandoned office floor was covered in dust and clumps of it were caught all through the carpet. Being collapsed with his cheek pressed against that carpet was uncomfortable for Accelerator. However...
"(How...am I...supposed to...get rid of...this discomfort?)"
He could passively gather information, but he could make no active reaction to it. He could not make the "calculations" needed to bridge that gap.
Kihara Amata simply stood in front of him.
"Accelerator...where did you go wrong. You were so cool last time, the lone wolf, strongest esper, cold-hearted. You were all these things. But now...now you're just a handicap, pathetic dog, a 'hero', and just a massive wimp." Amata knelt down with his remaining leg as he pressed the barrel of the gun at Accelerator's head. "What's more, the old you would've seen all this and not even bat an eye. You would have simply walked away. I wonder what made you this way."
Accelerator could not understand what he was saying or even understand how detrimental this situation was. He just laid there like a doll who was just used and thrown to the ground.
Amata rested his index finger on the trigger. The trigger felt so heavy this time. The framework and everything. The barrel, the body and the trigger. It was all so well made that lifting it felt heavy for once. He lets out a final cold breath as his finger slowly pulled back.
But then...
"I'm not done with you yet, you fucking dog."
His index finger released itself from the trigger as he turned back and was ecstatic to see his punching bag standing up again.
"Damn, you really are one stubborn bitch!"
The trigger feeling light once more, he pushed himself up before pointing the gun at Ester.
And the gunshots rang out for the last time.
He fired the remaining two bullets in the chamber at her, and she tanked both shots.
"I've suffered...more from the...Accelerator. This...is nothing..."
Her lungs were barely keeping up with her at this point as she just casually put her body at maximum defense. But she could have easily dodged those bullets had Mitsuari not been behind her, but her plan succeeded. She managed to empty the gun in his hand.
Now, he can't make anymore threats at any of them.
Amata clicked his tongue as he looked around, but Ester was not giving him another chance to pick up a gun from the ground or from any of the Hound Dogs.
She stomped her foot on the ground with her head down but even she knew that she was at her limit.
"Tch vermins should just die!!"
A storm of heavy footsteps approached her quickly but her head was still down. She was not looking at him at all but she was still confident that she had the strength to fight back.
A surge of wind brushed her hair, and she simply lifted up her forearm and pushed his fist away and she clenched her right fist and drove it straight into his jaw.
Saliva flew out of his mouth as he was sent back a few feet. With a mocking grin, she tilted her head up with one of her eyes closed as she looked at him.
"Pathetic."
That was the only words that she could muster up.
"Don't get so cocky with me you fucking biiiiiiiiitchh!!!!"
He ran at her again, this time more confident then ever. But Ester was just as confident as he was. Even if she knew one hit would guarantee her pain that could last for decades, she still pressed her foot down and took a step forward as she pulled back her arm.
The moment they were within a meter of each other, Amata tried to uppercut her because he was taller than her, but Ester dodged it by forcing her body to tilt to the left as she used it as a driving force for her right fist.
"I am protecting their futures, I will save them all!"
"Ridiculous, trash like them will never leave the dark side, they will rot and die in this cursed world, not even someone like a hero can help them!! Wake up, you stupid bitch!!!"
Amata caught her fist with his left hand, followed by a hard left knee to her ribcage. She did not think he would be able to catch her punch, but maybe she overestimated her current condition that was why she couldn't react in time.
Blood escaped her lips as she tumbled across the floor.
"You would never understand them." Amata said as he cracked his neck and fists. "They are precious research specimens. Everyone would want a piece of them. And if you had to protect them every time danger comes, you will never be able to rest."
Ester managed to push herself off the ground, but Amata simply kicked her in the side, forcing her into the corner. She could only grimace as her only view was Accelerator's dead eyes staring back at her the same way that he did when they first met.
The one person who she admired the most was now lying pathetically on the ground. She grit whatever remaining teeth she had as she clenched her fist and she frowned.
"This is the extent of your little adventure, you little shit. Prepare to die." Amata mockingly said as he towered over her almost lifeless body.
"...Never." Ester said with a weak voice.
"Amazing last words."
"Stand up, Accelerator!! Is this how pathetic the number one has fallen?! Is the person who I've been following this weak? Is this really the end of you?!" She pushed herself with whatever remaining strength that she had left as she shouted at the top of her lungs that it most likely reached the outside of the building.
"Oh shut it."
Amata kicked her through the wall that Accelerator blew open earlier as her entirety was laid out in the open. Accelerator still had not gotten up after that however. He was still blankly staring at the spot which Ester was previously at. He most likely didn't even hear her at all due to his disabled state. At most it would have probably been jumbled up.
"You don't know when to give up, do ya? But thanks to that attitude, I've been havin a lot fun beatin' the absolute shit outta ya. I gotta thank ya, it doesn't make me any happier than this!!"
"(Why...)" Ester wondered as she laid on the debris behind her as Amata slowly approached her yet again.
"(Why does he not pull a miracle now...at this rate...)"
Ester knew if nothing was going to happen, it would really be the end for all of them. She would die, Accelerator, Last Order, and Mitsuari was going to be used as test subjects again. They would be tormented relentlessly like last time. Nothing was going to change.
She knew it, but she was useless. She felt helpless.
There was nothing anyone can do.
"There she is! It's her!"
A small voice sounded out at the place where the wall was previously broken.
Ester looked up and she saw a small nun in a white habit. She was just as small as Last Order but she had multiple religious ornaments around her along with a huge pin on her habit.
Her name was Index.
"Ahn?"
Amata stopped his attacks on Accelerator as he looked at the small girl.
"Tch, what the hell are those guards doing? One simple fuckin' job and they can't even handle it." Amata said exasperatedly as he placed his palm on his forehead.
"Well, whatever. Guess I'll dispose of you too."
He took one step forward as his grin grew ever so wide. Index saw the threat that Amata could possibly possess, but she did not falter. Instead, she stood in place, as she thought of a plan to escape his grasp and complete her mission.
But before Amata could take another step, he heard the boy on the ground groaning before slowly standing up again.
Accelerator could not make any calculations in his current state. He understood how hopeless he was in this situation.
However, it's because he cannot calculate that he would continue fighting as even he could not calculate his reasons to lose either.
That meant he would not hesitate no matter what.
He would continue fighting until the very end.
"You're goddamn persistent..." Amata whispered but then his smirk was still stuck on his face. "That's why you're my favorite, Acceleratorrrr!!!!"
Amata threw a real punch towards Accelerator but his fist was stopped midair. Accelerator even in his disheveled state could still muster up the strength to hold one of Amata's punches. It was more like an animalistic instinct to survive, but he still caught it.
"?!" Amata was shocked as Accelerator followed it up with a swing towards his face. It produced a slapping noise and caused absolutely no pain, but his thumb laid above his left eye and he pressed his thumb into Amata's eye.
A blood squishing sound could be heard as the blood shot out of his eye sockets.
"Gwaaaaahhhh!!!??" Amata cried out as he pulled away, but Accelerator's grip was so strong that he got pulled into him. Accelerator could not think but he knew he had one option.
It was to smash his head into Amata's jaw.
He dived in like a football player trying to line a header and the top of his head smashed right into Amata's nose, causing him to fall back and bleed out even more.
As Amata's hard exterior crumbled, Accelerator's mouth split open in a smile.
Meanwhile, Index used that opportunity to run towards Last Order to treat her of the 'Testament'.
"(I can't do this here, I need to move her to a safer spot.)"
Index started to pick up the limp girl's body in order to leave the abandoned office, but she decided it would be too dangerous to move her much given how weak Last Order looked. To make sure the girl was not affected by the fighting, Index moved her from the desk to behind it on the floor.
Index looked over the girl from head to toe.
She observed her from a magical point of view.
"(This girl is definitely the core to everything. The foundation is the construction of an angel. Formless Telesma is forced into a "container" that uses the image of a human to create a silhouette in the same way as a balloon doll. This spell was used by the Golden magic cabal that Crowley belonged to.)"
The knowledge of 103,000 grimoires solved the magical mystery in no time at all.
However...
"(But I don't understand anything beyond that.)"
Index gritted her teeth.
"(I understand the general structure, but I don't understand what parts it is made from!!)"
This was as far as Index could get on her own, so she did not hesitate to ask for help. But she didn't know who to ask. Her phone was not with her since she ran out of the house the moment those wings appeared in the sky. So she had to look for help around her.
But the people around her were two guys brawling it out, a girl lying on a bunch of debris, and a girl who was tied up in a corner.
"(She seems fine, I'll ask her out.)"
Index ran over to the fluffy haired girl who was tied up in a corner while ensuring she does not get caught up in their fight.
Accelerator and Amata were now tussling it out on the ground, rolling left and right trying to get the upper hand. Well, it was mostly Amata trying to get the upper hand as Accelerator didn't even know what he was doing at that point. He simply could not understand anything.
Index looked at the knot that was tied to her mouth and fortunately it was only a dead knot so she just had to be very precise with the unknotting process. Her fingernails dug in and once they maneuvered around the knot, it simply came off as a singular rope.
However, Mitsuari's cheeks had deep red lining across them and the skin on the corners of her mouth were torn but they were nothing too severe. She immediately took in a deep breath as she gasped desperately for air.
"Who are you?" Mitsuari asked as she turned halfway to look at the nun who was starting to untie the knot around her wrists.
"I am Index, but I do not have a lot of time to explain. I just need you to help me answer some questions about science."
The moment Mitsuari heard that, she immediately panicked as her lips started to wander up and down.
"I-uhh If it's not too difficult, I-I can answer them for you."
"What is an electrical network using brain waves?"
"God, umm...It's uhh...damn I wished I didn't drop out of school so early...but uhhh it's something like a machine programmed to have the components of a human brain? I think that's it."
Despite the lack of knowledge that Mitsuari has for Index, she still tried her best to answer her as that was the least that she could do in her current state.
"What are the AIM diffusion fields spreading across Academy City?"
"Ha? Well, I guess it's something I'm quite familiar with, it's basically the accumulation of all the espers in Academy City. We espers use our thought patterns to generate the powers that we possess and thus we create something like a veil of this 'power'. But what does this have anything to do with this situation?"
The moment Index untied the final knot, Mitsuari immediately laid on the floor as her limbs were starting to give up on her. Index stood up and looked down at her as she threw her final question.
"What about that safety device related to the electrical network based in brain waves?"
That question was the easiest thing for her to answer.
It was the Testament.
Something that everyone who comes into Academy City have to undergo to receive their 'powers'.
"I guess if you're referring to what Last Order is attached to, then they're basically inputting a virus into her head."
"Basically, a special power fills this city and this girl controls it. That special power has been twisted by binding her mind and that has created this angel! In that case I just have to untie the knot in that girl's head as well!"
"What? How are you going to do that?"
The way that Index was going about it was unknown to Mitsuari, but Index was in too much of a hurry to answer her question with an elaborate answer. Moreover, the both of them came from different sides of the world.
So she simply gave her a brief answer.
"I'll sing her a song!"
"...Ha?"
Mitsuari thought Index was just playing around when she said that, but when she looked at Index's eyes, she could tell that she was serious.
"If I'm not wrong, the girl should still be conscious. Otherwise that angel wouldn't be existing right now. And so she should be able to hear this song. I can use the rhythm and tune of this song to stimulate her emotions on multiple levels."
"(What the hell is this girl going on about?"
"This will work. My prayers will get through and that will save her. That is how a nun spreads her teachings!"
"Now is not the time to be preaching!!"
------------------------------
Meanwhile, Accelerator was being beaten into a bloody pulp by the researcher. Never in his life would anyone have thought that the Accelerator would be beaten so helplessly to this state like a puppy being thrashed about by a bull.
He was not even able to stand on his own two feet anymore. Amata had managed to get off the ground and was keeping his distance away from him to prevent Accelerator from pulling out his other eye.
"You fucking dog!! You only had one fucking task to do and you still couldn't do it. GYA HA HA HA HA!!!"
Amata was laughing and taunting so loudly that his throat was going to rip apart. He grabbed Accelerator's collar, dragged him along the floor, slammed his back against a desk, and then slammed his fist into the boy. An unpleasant creaking sound came from Accelerator's skull and the skin of his face split open as if it was tightening. Due to having his brain rattled, he could feel strength leaving his fingertips.
But Accelerator did not lose consciousness. Because even if his brain could not think, his thoughts couldn't comprehend the damage that was being done to him but he could feel it. But that pain felt like nothing to him.
"..."
Accelerator heard a smooth melody in a girl's voice.
Accelerator had lost his language comprehension, so he could tell he was hearing a voice but could not understand what words were being used. However, this girl's song held emotions. Accelerator could sense the girl's feelings for Last Order that surpassed the boundary of language.
He did not know what the words meant.
It was possible she was only holding Last Order's hand and trying to alleviate her pain.
But that was more than enough salvation.
After all, no one had done that for Last Order before.
And he had a feeling that if he were to fall now, he would never see her again.
"Oooorrrrraaaaa!!!" Amata threw another heavy punch straight towards Accelerator's face but this time it didn't send him flying. Instead, he gripped the desk with whatever little strength he had left as he glared at Amata and smirked.
The girl's smooth song continued.
The song made him feel like he was bathing in a warm light. This was likely the voice of someone from the world Last Order belonged in. Accelerator merely listened to the song. He listened with almost no calculation ability. He listened to that voice that he could never produce.
A brat like Last Order did not belong among pieces of shit like Kihara Amata and Accelerator. It was best for a resident of the world of light to be rescued by someone else from that warm world.
But deep down he knew he couldn't do it.
He was this piece of trash living in the darkness of Academy City. Someone like him does not have any rights to save someone like her in that world.
He was Academy City's strongest villain who had acted so arrogantly.
But even he knew involving her into this world where it would only cause her pain was not something she should undergo. This was not her path to take, it was his.
But even so, he would puff out his chest with pride and take every step in the darkness just to save her even if it meant putting himself under fire.
He had always wished for a hero but the hero that appeared on that very night, he had killed him.
So he would take over that spot even if it means he has to become the shittiest person this world has ever seen. He was going to change the definition of what was possible and impossible.
He would destroy everything if it meant protecting her.
"Ki....ha...raaaa...." A cold voice escaped that mouth of his which should have lost it's ability to speak.
His legs slowly supported his weight.
"Kiiiiiiiiihaaaaaaaraaaaaaaaa!!!!!!"
In that instant, the both of them charged towards each other with a smile on their faces.
"That's it!! That's the spirit!! I'm gonna fucking break every single bone in your body before killing you and that fucking brat!!"
Even with a broken leg and a loose eye, Amata could feel the adrenaline and joy coursing through his body.
It was simply ecstasy.
Amata's mind seemed to have snapped as he intercepted Accelerator's left fist.
He clenched his fists and cracked the knuckles.
After clenching his one fist until it was as hard as steel, he mercilessly threw it toward the center of Accelerator's face.
A roar rang out.
Amata could feel slight cracking feelings transferred up his arm.
And yet Accelerator did not stop in the slightest.
Despite having his face smashed, he sent a counter punch at Amata's face. Amata's nose broke and pain exploded out. That strike had had the boy's entire strength behind it.
Amata could tell without having it explained to him.
"Gh...bh!!"
Amata moved his head back to its original position, pushing the fist back with it.
He further hardened his fist.
"That's not gonna cut it, boooyyyyy!!"
He slammed that fist against Accelerator's slender face. The boy's body spun around and collapsed to the floor. He writhed around on the floor, but Amata slammed his foot down with all his body weight on top of it. This produced a great roar of impact.
But before he could get to stomping, he felt someone's arms wrap around his waist, trying to push him away, but his weight was much heavier so he held on.
When he looked down, he saw Mitsuari trying to tackle him down like an American football player but she was simply much too light.
"Get outta my way, you bitch!!"
Amata drove his knee straight into her guts and saliva flew out of her mouth immediately, but she didn't let go until he threw his left fist straight into the side of her head and she spun around before falling to her knees.
"Know your place, you replica."
Mitsuari tilted her head up as she stared him down.
"You're gonna regret that!!"
She quickly got back up as she ran towards him, but he simply put his foot off of Accelerator's head and swung his fist with his weight backing him.
The punch flew straight towards the center of her face and she immediately fell back down. This time his focus was centered on her.
"You should have just sat back like a good girl."
He slammed his foot on the side of her face almost effortlessly.
"Ffffuck you..."
"Would you like that to be your last words?"
"(Why did I decide to help him...)" Mitsuari grieved as the side of her face felt lighter before another impact made it feel heavier.
"GYAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Amata laughed as he stomped her face repeatedly with no hesitation to the point where the sole of his shoe had blood on it.
------------------------
Accelerator laid on the floor as the soothing song was still playing in his head with the sound of laughter in the background.
He turned his head upwards and saw Ester on her back still and when he turned it to the sound of the laughter, he saw Amata stomping on the poor girl's head.
He remembered the moments that he had with Ester.
(Please teach me how to become stronger!)
That was on the following night after meeting with her.
(It tastes amazing. I've never had anything as wonderful as this around me.)
He found it strange.
(The two of you have showed me what it's like to have a family. I don't want to lose my family anymore.)
Thus, she moved.
He didn't know why but he clenched his broken fist.
And then, something clicked in his head.
It was like a switch had been turned on and he pushed himself back on his feet with his broken fists.
At that moment, it should have been impossible for him to get up, but he had already done it a few times already.
And when he got back to his feet.
He felt an insatiable joy running through his veins. It was like he was filled with power yet again.
Much more power.
Amata stopped his bull stampede as he turned around to look at the slender boy yet again but this time he had a change of expression.
His joyful smile was wiped off his face.
His lips parted as he was soon overwhelmed with dread.
"W-What the hell are those black wings growing from your back!?"
They looked more like jets than wings.
Some unknown substance was being sprayed out as wings that were darker than ink and swallowed up even the light.
Amata had seen an "angel". He had understood that he had helped make it appear. But he was still unable to properly grasp the scene occurring before his eyes.
"(Th-that bastard...)"
Accelerator's power gave him control over all vectors regardless of what type they were.
His speech ability, walking ability, and the acquisition of this new power had likely all used some kind of power that existed in that local space.
Scientifically speaking, Accelerator was currently unable to perform any physics calculations, so it should have been impossible for him to control any physical force.
But what if there was some other power? If he had grabbed ahold of some unscientific theory, did it matter what calculations he could make?
The occult.
That was what appeared to be a set of irregular laws that showed themselves ever so slightly after thousands and tens of thousands of experiments and that only a researcher of Amata's level would know about.
"(He's achieved a new Clearance level for what he can control? What values did he input into his Personal Reality? What has he secured a method of communicating with!?)"
The only possibility he could think of was the representative example of a power filling Academy City.
"(AIM!? Wait, it can't be! Is that power actually that angel or whatever!?)"
But Accelerator was not going to wait around.
He poured more strength into his grip as he squeezed Amata's skull.
His raving smile grew ever so wide.
Mitsuari turned her head just a slight bit as she showed a joyful visage. She wasn't afraid but she was glad. Glad it was over.
"Ha ha ha," laughed back Kihara Amata as his arms and legs hung down limply.
And he asked a question.
"H-have you...seen what's behind you, you monster?"
"ihbfKILLwq"
The black wings explosively burst out.
An unexplainable and invisible power burst from Accelerator's hand and assaulted Kihara Amata.
His body left Accelerator's hand, shot through the abandoned office at terrifying speed, flew out of the broken window, and cut across the night sky at dozens of times the speed of sound. He moved so quickly that he turned to plasma and left behind an orange afterimage.
It was not necessary to check to see if he was dead.
The song was still being played in the background, but Accelerator with his limp body, squatted down and checked on Mitsuari's carotid pulse. After Amata had been disintegrated into nothingness, his expression grew cold as a blank face replaced the ferocious smile that he displayed earlier.
"I'm...alright. But I think you should check on Ester-chan. She suffered much more injuries than me." Mitsuari lightly spoke as she rested her face on the marble-like floor.
Accelerator glanced at the nun's direction before getting up and limping over to Ester, who was barely conscious.
His mind was still in a disheveled state, but he could still understand the words coming from her mouth. He found it strange that he could still walk even after the adrenaline had settled down. But when he looked to his side, he could see a glimpse of what was supporting him.
He kneeled down beside Ester as he slipped his hand under her head while checking on her carotid pulse as well. Her body was cold as her pulse became weaker.
"You...finally came to...Accelerator."
"..."
Accelerator could not find the words to talk to her. Carrying her body felt heavy.
"You've saved us...yet again. I'm sorry...I wasn't able to...help you..."
"..."
A surge of blood escaped her lips as her eyelids became heavier and her once gleaming green eyes started to dim themselves.
"Ah...I really wanted to be with you...forever. But, I had...a lot of fun with everyone. The music is nice, isn't it?"
Accelerator grabbed hold of her hand with his other hand and she held on to it with whatever strength that she had left.
"Haha...if this was all it took for you to pay more attention to me...I would have worked myself to the brink of death every time."
The song slowly played in the background as the wings of light that shone through the windows started to waver.
"Accelerator...that's not...your name, isn't it? Can you...tell me your name?"
"_______"
He whispered his name to her, but the song subdued his voice from the office. However, Ester still caught it.
"That's...a nice name. You should...use it more often. Ah, but you think you're too much of a monster to use a human name, isn't that right?"
"..."
Water started to drip onto her face and she was slowly being woken up.
"Ah, the ceiling's leaking. This building must've been pretty old and we wrecked this place to such an extent. *cough* If you don't...get out now, it might topple down with all of you in it."
The bright white wings soon disappeared, and the song stopped which meant that even the tiniest of whispers could be heard.
Ester placed her hand on Accelerator's cheek as she wiped the water off his face.
"You...are not a monster. So...you can let go now."
She stretched her arms out as she reached in for a hug with the last bit of her strength left.
The jet black wings behind him soon disappeared as well, as he enclosed his trembling arms around her.
He could feel her heartbeat beating slower and slower after each passing second and the moment she let go, she stared off into the darkness in front of her.
"The moon...looks so pretty. Don't you think so?" Her radiant smile was memorable to him as it was his light but he knew it was the last time he was going to see it.
There was nothing else he could say, nor did he have any strength left. His hand struggled to hold hers but he still held on.
"I feel a bit tired. Wake me up...when everything is over."
She closed her eyes as she took in a final breath and finally, her hand slipped away from his grasp despite his futile attempts to recapture it.
Her body went cold as it became still and motionless and there was nothing he could do about it.
The worst part of it all was that he knew it.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
dontouchme
dontouchme I hope you enjoyed reading this one. It was a bit long, but I didn't want to cut halfway as I think it kills a bit of the momentum, but I guess being gone for quite a while also kills it too. I enjoyed writing this one, but halfway through I was caught in a dilemma of a few things and I have been quite busy for the past couple of months so I do apologize for that. Anyway, I want to hear your thoughts on this chapter and let me know your opinions.
Again, I am sorry for the slow update but I am grateful that you guys come back once in a while to check on me. That's all for this arc.
Next one, is when Accelerator has to go overseas while dealing with the darkness in Academy City, plus a few more upgrades! Hope you all look forward to the next chapter and thank you all for your continued support.