Dusk had completely faded, and the entirety of Academy City lay shrouded in night.
Security personnel received orders to enforce a curfew across a section of the 7th School District, while satellites were activated to lock down the area and prevent any unauthorized individuals from entering.
"Was the very first trial also conducted in District 7?" Arata wondered silently as he watched a guard strolling past while whistling. He could not help sighing at the irony. The guard had no idea what was about to take place here.
The system's holographic map zoomed in, revealing two moving markers within the sealed zone, one one-star and one three-star, corresponding to Misaka Mikoto and Accelerator.
"Operation commence." Arata's lips curved into an excited smile. The Imperial Arm in his hand emitted a faint glow, and in the next instant his figure vanished from where he stood, reappearing atop a rooftop overlooking the restricted area.
From this vantage point, several hundred meters away, he could clearly see a slender figure slowly approaching the deserted freight platform.
White hair, crimson eyes, gray-toned clothing, polished shoes, a thin frame. He chewed gum lazily, his voice filled with impatience as he spoke.
"I'm so sick of indoor trials I could throw up. Hopefully an outdoor trial will at least be a little interesting. Tsk."
As he looked toward the freight platform and at the figure he had killed countless times, though never once regarded as the same individual, a trace of killing intent surfaced in his eyes.
A twisted smile naturally formed at the corner of his lips, a smile that carried his despair and contempt toward the world.
"Do. The current Tokyo time is 8:23 PM. There are three minutes remaining before the scheduled experiment. Please observe the proper timing, Mr. Accelerator, otherwise the calculation results may deviate. Misaka is issuing this reminder."
The short brown haired girl spoke without emotion to the white haired boy walking toward her. She adjusted her protective goggles, opened the guitar case sized equipment pack on her back, and withdrew a rifle specially manufactured by Academy City.
"Sorry, sorry. First time killing you outdoors, so I'm three minutes late. If it affects the data, you can go back and redo the calculations before coming again, doll."
Accelerator kept both hands in his pockets, spat his gum onto the ground, and replied with open disdain.
"The first outdoor trial is a preliminary test and serves only as reference data. Do. Misaka clarifies the objective of Experiment 9912. The data from this trial may be excluded from the final statistical results."
Misaka checked the chamber of her automatic rifle and simultaneously fastened three fragmentation grenades at her waist.
"Tsk. So it doesn't even count toward the results. How disappointing. Hey, how many times have I killed you already? At least let me hear you scream once."
Accelerator spoke impatiently, seemingly dissatisfied that the trial would not be included in the official results, yet also appearing eager to frighten the doll before killing her.
"I could crush your bones piece by piece, force your blood to surge backward into your heart, then make it explode with a bang. Hehehe. Doesn't that sound entertaining, doll?"
His lips curled into a bloodthirsty and cruel grin.
Yet when he saw that the doll displayed no reaction whatsoever, irritation welled up inside him, accompanied by a nauseating disgust.
I've killed nearly ten thousand of them already. I'm probably sick of it myself, you bastards.
"Experiment 9912, begin. Accelerator, please prepare."
Misaka spoke expressionlessly and raised her automatic rifle, aiming it directly at Accelerator. With a sharp burst of gunfire, muzzle flashes flared as a stream of golden bullets tore through the air.
"Whoosh."
Each bullet was reflected the instant it came into contact with Accelerator's vector control field, rebounding at even greater velocity. However, instead of striking Misaka herself, the bullets skimmed past her and slammed into the ground behind her, blasting fragments of concrete into the air.
"Tsk. I actually asked a doll what it thinks about being torn apart by me. Heh. I just came up with a better way to kill you."
Seeing that any attempt at communication was meaningless, Accelerator grinned viciously and casually lifted a hand, giving it a light wave.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh."
By manipulating vectors, he amplified the airflow around his hand, generating a violent gale that surged toward Misaka Mikoto. An ordinary person would have been smashed into a wall by the sheer force of that wind.
Misaka's physical capabilities were insufficient to evade it. She was blown off her feet and hurled violently into the concrete pillar behind her.
"Is killing really that enjoyable, Accelerator?"
The unfamiliar voice caused the distortion in Accelerator's expression to stiffen for a brief moment. He shifted his gaze and saw a swift figure intercept the doll he had blasted away, catching her mid air and sliding several meters across the ground before coming to a stop.
Accelerator observed the scene with a blank expression, his hands still in his pockets. After a second of silence, he spoke calmly.
"How should this situation be handled?"
The words seemed directed at the Misaka Network, yet also as if he were speaking to himself.
The Misaka Sister showed no surprise at being suddenly caught by a stranger. She merely turned her head to look at him, her vacant eyes devoid of shyness or fear, because she had not yet learned to comprehend such emotions.
She had only recently been released from the cultivation tank, and this knowledge had not yet been uploaded to her through the learning device. Moreover, for a consumable experimental unit, such emotional education was considered unnecessary by the researchers.
"Sir, this is a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel must evacuate immediately," Misaka advised politely.
Arata could not help laughing softly as he held the girl who was identical to Misaka Mikoto, someone he had never personally met before.
"Of course I know this is a restricted zone. I came here anyway, just for you. Don't say something like that to your own people. It really hurts. You don't understand yet. You truly don't."
"So an unrelated outsider who knows the secret has appeared. How troublesome. If an ordinary person learns classified information about the experimental site, they are usually eliminated."
Accelerator remained unconcerned, uttering cruel words as if discussing something trivial. His tone carried a clear threat, suggesting that the intruder should leave of his own accord while he still had the chance.
He looked at Arata with cold indifference and contempt.
Judging by what this guy is saying, he knows about the experiment. Did he come here specifically for this puppet? Pshaw. Some delusional nobody who thinks he can challenge me?
"Eliminated? Ha. That does sound frightening. Opposing Academy City might indeed get someone erased. But not here. Not in this cowardly experiment."
Arata glanced at Accelerator, who still maintained his relaxed posture. The usual calm in Arata's expression vanished instantly, replaced by icy sarcasm as he confronted the strongest Level 5 in Academy City.
...
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