"More importantly, that despicable ability of yours that nullifies my power only works when you can see me. If you can't see me... then the result is obvious. Checkmate, you miserable lowlife."
Accelerator's cruel and twisted voice echoed through the dust filled battlefield. The air was packed with flying concrete blocks that carried destructive force comparable to artillery shells or sniper rounds. The violent sounds of stone colliding with stone and the continuous rumbling swallowed most other noises.
"Hiss... if what you just said is actually true, then I might really be checkmated in an instant."
Arata let out a quiet sigh, though his tone carried a hint of amusement.
He clearly felt an object slam into his body before instantly retreating along the trajectory it had followed three seconds earlier. Seeing that, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Absolute physical defense.
That was precisely the kind of ability that stood as a natural nemesis to Accelerator.
Accelerator did not dare to approach him in close combat and could only rely on this overwhelming method of crushing him with sheer scale, attempting to achieve a decisive checkmate in a single move.
Unfortunately for her, even this exaggerated tactic would ultimately fail.
If Accelerator had used this exact strategy the last time they fought, Arata would not have been confident that he could walk away unharmed, much less counterattack.
Everything in the physical world that moves possesses a vector.
However, space and time themselves are the only things that do not possess vectors. Because of that, the physical laws governing vector manipulation are completely meaningless when applied to them.
If a Level 5 esper capable of cutting through space were to appear in Academy City, then regardless of the difference in strength between them and Accelerator, that person would still possess the ability to defeat her.
"Since I just obtained the power of time, I might as well push it to its limits and see what happens. If things continue like this, the upper management of Academy City will definitely start to feel uneasy."
Arata raised the corner of his mouth slightly, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
Inside Academy City, the members of the Board of Directors and the countless insane researchers never truly viewed Level 5 espers as individuals.
To them, Level 5s were nothing more than valuable research materials or strategic assets.
They refrained from acting recklessly only because they feared the overwhelming destructive power possessed by Level 5 espers.
However, the research value contained within a Level 5 was enough to drive scientists into complete madness. For the sake of that knowledge, they would not hesitate to use any method imaginable, including the most underhanded tactics.
Time.
Academy City's technology had not even fully mastered spatial manipulation yet.
If something related to the even more mysterious concept of time were to appear, those researchers would absolutely lose their minds with obsession.
Accelerator stared proudly at the chaotic battlefield she had created and spread her arms wide, laughing cruelly with wild excitement.
"Hahahaha! This is perfect, you lowlife! I'll make sure you die a magnificent death. Be grateful to me!"
This result was the optimal solution she had derived after performing tens of thousands of calculations.
She had thoroughly analyzed all the low level data collected during their previous encounters. Even though each variable had its own weaknesses, this time she had pushed her ability to its absolute limit, outputting vectors at the maximum level her calculation power could sustain.
Even Accelerator herself did not know exactly how many pieces of concrete had been launched into the air.
However, one thing was certain.
Each individual block carried an impact force exceeding ten tons.
That cheap telekinetic barrier of his could never block such power.
And with such an incredibly dense environment filled with obstacles, spatial movement abilities such as teleportation would become completely unusable.
Even if he possessed other abilities, it would still be absolutely impossible to escape.
Just as she reached that conclusion in her mind, her expression suddenly froze.
Her pupils shrank violently.
It was as if she had just witnessed something utterly incomprehensible and horrifying.
Her jaw trembled slightly and her entire body shook uncontrollably. She instinctively staggered backward several steps, nearly collapsing to the ground. It was unclear whether the emotion she felt was shock or fear.
What she was seeing completely overturned everything she believed she understood about the world.
It was something that should never exist.
Something that absolutely could not occur under any circumstances.
Something that could not be explained by science.
Everything she had carefully calculated was now frozen in place.
It was as if the entire world had suddenly been paused like a stopped film.
At that moment, she realized that every single vector in existence had vanished.
Silence.
The world had become incomparably quiet.
An eerie, unnatural silence.
Cold sweat slowly slid down from her temples.
"This... this is impossible!" she shouted in disbelief.
The silent world abruptly returned to normal.
The battlefield was once again filled with deafening noise and violent chaos.
However, Accelerator saw something even more terrifying.
Everything around her began to move in reverse.
It was as if someone had pressed the rewind button on reality itself.
All objects returned to the state they had been in three seconds earlier. The shattered ground slowly repaired itself, and the collapsed building gradually reconstructed itself piece by piece.
"Phew... this really is troublesome."
Arata rubbed his temples while muttering to himself.
"I feel exhausted after using it. The energy consumption is ridiculous."
Even when he pushed his power to its limit, he could barely activate the ability twice in a single day.
His original physical strength was simply too weak to sustain such a power for long.
When he looked up again, he noticed Accelerator staring at him with a horrified expression.
Her face clearly displayed shock and disbelief.
Accelerator had never left Academy City since the day she was taken into the esper development facility as an orphan.
Within the boundaries of Academy City, she truly was the strongest esper.
However, that was the limit of her experience.
With her power, she could probably face the combined military forces of entire nations without hesitation.
But the true strength of the scientific side did not lie in esper powers alone.
It lay in technology.
And the magical side of the world was even more terrifying. Its historical foundation and accumulated knowledge were on an entirely different level compared to the scientific side.
They were simply not comparable.
What she had just witnessed completely shattered her understanding of reality and even the beliefs she had built her identity upon.
"Do you understand now?"
Arata slowly walked toward Accelerator, speaking in a calm but firm voice.
"Accelerator. In terms of ability, the gap between us isn't even on the same level. The physical laws that govern vector manipulation simply do not apply to time."
"This is time manipulation."
Accelerator instinctively stepped backward.
Her eyes suddenly became ferocious. Her fists clenched tightly, her teeth grinding together as she glared intensely at Arata.
Afraid?
Me?
Afraid?
Damn it.
Time manipulation.
Multiple abilities.
Are you joking?
Are you actually joking with me?
The strongest esper in Academy City should have been me.
So why does this bastard refuse to step forward and claim the title of the strongest from the beginning?
Is he deliberately dumping all this disgusting responsibility on someone else while he casually strolls around in the sunlight, pretending to be some carefree hero?
Are you kidding me, you bastard?
The title of the strongest esper.
She had never cared about something so trivial.
As Accelerator thought about the background of this despicable person and compared it to her own experiences, the ugliness of the situation became even clearer in her mind.
"Hehe... hehehe..."
"What a ridiculous joke."
She had walked down the path toward absolute strength, believing that invincibility would allow her to change her fate.
Maybe, just maybe, she would one day be able to live freely in the sunlight.
But now, at this very moment, the true strongest individual had appeared.
Under the guise of saving those dolls, he stood in front of her and trampled on her determination while shattering her pride.
"Hehehe... hahahaha!"
"What is with that pretentious attitude?"
"And that self satisfied explanation of your abilities?"
"I want to kill you so badly, you worthless lowlife!"
"I want to tear your body into pieces!"
Accelerator clenched her fists tightly.
It was as if a black demon was about to hatch from within her body.
Then she roared furiously at Arata, who continued walking toward her step by step.
...
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