Boom--
A deafening roar accompanied by a violent tremor that swept across the entire Eighth School District.
A concrete slab the size of a rockery hurtled toward Accelerator. Its diameter was three times his height, and by all logic it should have crushed him into pulp.
Yet the instant it made contact, the slab shattered into countless fragments and was violently reflected outward like a barrage of shells, its trajectory redirected straight toward the figure suspended mid-air.
Arata's expression turned grave as he unleashed his full telekinetic power, erecting a telekinetic barrier nearly one hundred meters wide in front of him.
A succession of dull impacts echoed as the air rippled like disturbed water. The shattered stones were blocked one after another, and after losing their momentum, they clattered helplessly to the ground.
"If the force exceeds one ton, it will surpass the load limit of the barrier."
Arata descended slowly, landing in front of Misaka Mikoto as he spoke in a low voice.
Accelerator's vector manipulation works on the principle that the greater the incoming force, the stronger the reflected output. The most effective strategy against him is to avoid attacking altogether.
Of course, that logic applies to ordinary people.
Arata quickly caught Misaka, who was so weak she could barely remain standing, his gaze turning icy.
It had taken him considerable time to locate the experimental site, traveling all the way from the Seventh School District to the Eighth. If not for the sudden explosion in the building, he might not have found Misaka Mikoto at all.
Blood dripped from the fingertips of the Misaka Sister, soaking into Tokiwadai's school uniform. A bullet wound marked her cheek.
"Honestly, since the Misaka Network links you all together, you should value your life a bit more instead of throwing it away so easily. I would be heartbroken if you died. But if you get hurt like this, I get furious."
Arata gently wiped the blood from her cheek. His voice was soft, but the fury in his heart was directed squarely at Accelerator.
"Misaka does not understand Mister's actions, says Misaka with doubt. Removing Misaka Unit 8912 from the experiment will not defeat Accelerator. Interfering with the experiment holds no meaning. Misaka can be replaced with a single command, but Mister's life is unique. Therefore, Misaka concludes that if Mister is killed by Accelerator in order to save Misaka, the exchange of lives would be unequal."
The Misaka Sister spoke weakly, her tone as emotionless as ever, as though she were not the one gravely injured.
"Seriously. Even if you all look identical, each Misaka is still slightly different. And who told you I'm no match for Accelerator? One punch is all I need to knock him down."
Arata ruffled her hair with a faint smile, speaking with calm confidence. His eyes flicked toward the one-star card floating above her head, and he decisively claimed it.
["Ding. Congratulations, Host. You have obtained Personality and Ability Erasure fragment 5 percent defective."]
["Ding. Two identical ability fragments detected. Initiating Personality and Ability Erasure merge. Merge successful. Completion at 10 percent."]
[Note: Can be activated twice per minute. Each activation disables the opponent's ability for three seconds.]
Arata's eyes lit up. Could it be that every Misaka possessed the same ability fragment? This was extraordinary news. If he could assemble the complete Ability Erasure, he would become the natural enemy of every esper in Academy City.
The power to forcibly shut down an opponent's ability was practically a divine authority.
"Misaka does not understand Mister's reasoning, says Misaka. Accelerator is ranked first among the seven Level 5 espers and is the only one capable of evolving into a Level 6… Mister, um…"
Before she could finish, Arata pressed a finger gently against her lips.
"This isn't the time for debate. With this level of blood loss, any further delay could lead to hemorrhagic shock."
"I need to end this quickly."
"Heh… hehehehe."
Accelerator approached with his hands in his pockets, killing intent swirling in his crimson eyes. His madness was so intense it was almost tangible. After letting out a low laugh, the corners of his lips curled upward.
"So you rushed here to provoke me just to save this doll. But you only showed up when I was about to tear her apart and scatter her across the ground. What, playing the hero saving a damsel in distress?"
As he spoke, Accelerator clenched his fists. His killing intent surged without restraint, his voice carrying a frigid, distorted edge.
"You said one punch is enough to beat me? I'm standing right in front of you. Don't tell me you've forgotten that."
"You piece of trash. Since you enjoy playing hero so much, I'll show you a brand new way for a hero to die."
With that, Accelerator stomped down and manipulated the vectors beneath his feet, launching himself toward Arata at blinding speed. To an ordinary observer, he would appear as nothing more than a fleeting blur, far too fast to react to.
At such velocity, a normal human body would suffer catastrophic internal damage from air resistance and pressure changes. But Accelerator could nullify all of that effortlessly.
In that split second, Arata shifted slightly to the left, evading with uncanny precision as though he had foreseen the movement. His Observation Haki allowed him to sense and anticipate incoming threats, even dodging sniper fire. In close combat, its effectiveness was even greater.
At the same time, Arata placed a spatial marker on the Misaka Sister and instantly teleported her to the medical room of Heaven canceller.
Accelerator's hand shot forward to seize him. If he made contact, Arata's own bodily vectors would fall under Accelerator's control. Blood could be reversed in his veins in an instant.
Although telekinesis was invisible, it still possessed directional vectors. Any telekinetic barrier deployed now would only become a weapon for Accelerator to exploit.
Arata's gaze sharpened. A faint crimson glow shimmered within his pupils, and in that instant, the world seemed to slow.
All external noise faded away.
Only Accelerator remained in his field of vision.
The chaotic red eyes filled with murderous madness were reflected clearly before him. The twisted smile at the corners of Accelerator's mouth rose slowly, as if savoring the imminent touch.
Thump. Thump.
Arata could even hear his heartbeat.
In his vision, countless illusory switches resembling divine control nodes manifested across Accelerator's body. These were the fundamental switches governing his ability.
And Arata could turn them off.
Click.
A crisp sound echoed, audible only to him. The switch governing Accelerator's vector manipulation was forcibly shut down for an instant.
At that precise moment, Accelerator's hand made contact with Arata's chest.
Before Accelerator's expression could change, Arata drove a punch straight into his abdomen.
Accelerator's pupils contracted sharply. His mouth fell open as saliva sprayed from the corners of his lips. His feet lifted off the ground as he was launched backward, the surrounding scenery blurring violently past.
An unprecedented surge of pain exploded through his nerves. A brutal impact tore through his back as he crashed away.
Unused to pain, his brain momentarily failed to process the signal. His consciousness blanked out under the overwhelming shock.
["Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have made contact with a three-star card character. Unlock condition: remove Accelerator's chest binder."]
...
Read advance chapters on p@treon
[email protected]/guilt_free_daoist
Join disc0rd link in synopsis.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.