Accelerator's lips curved into a chilling grin as he walked forward unhurriedly with both hands in his pockets.
With a casual flick of his foot, he kicked a small stone lying near his shoe. The pebble shot forward at an incomprehensible velocity toward the building ahead.
Bang.
Nearly one thousand meters away, a heavy impact resounded. The wall of the abandoned structure burst apart instantly, as if struck by a grenade.
"Cough, cough…"
The Misaka Sister running up the stairwell was not directly struck. She quickly covered her mouth and nose against the dust and coughed repeatedly. Through the shattered window, she caught sight of the white figure slowly advancing in her direction. Without hesitation, she turned and fled deeper into the building.
"Tsk. Too much distance. Was there a calculation deviation? Failure. What a failure."
Accelerator muttered while picking his ear with his little finger, his tone full of irritation.
…
District 8 was primarily a residential zone for faculty and researchers, combining aging commercial streets with newer high-rise apartments. Compared to other districts, it was relatively small and centrally located within Academy City.
The older blocks scheduled for redevelopment had already been sealed off. Even if explosions occurred within the perimeter, most citizens would assume they were part of demolition work.
Inside a monitoring facility, several researchers in white lab coats stared intently at surveillance screens, their expressions tense.
The previous incident involving a hidden Level 5 spatial ability user interfering with the experiment had already disrupted the schedule. If outside interference continued, the experiment might become impossible to proceed as planned.
Losing a single experimental unit was not the primary concern. The real issue was that one had been extracted and taken away. A Level 5 capable of spatial movement made containment nearly impossible without a countermeasure.
What frustrated them further was that although they had identified the hospital where the missing unit was located, they had received direct orders from higher authorities prohibiting intervention.
Was some faction within Academy City deliberately opposing them?
Even more unsettling, they were unable to find any data regarding a Level 5 spatial movement ability within the Academy City database, not even within encrypted archives.
Such a complete erasure could only be connected to the unseen Chairman of the Board.
"Could it be the Chairman himself interfering? No. If he wished to intervene, he would simply issue a direct order."
"It must be internal conflict within the upper ranks of the Board of Directors. Damn it. Let Accelerator eliminate whoever dares to interfere with the experiment."
This project was backed by a member of the Board. Anyone obstructing the experiment would be detained and purged. It was directly tied to the Absolute Ability Project, the plan to allow a human to comprehend the will of God.
"Report. Unauthorized entry detected within the sealed zone."
"Display the surveillance feed immediately."
All eyes fixed on the screen.
On the rooftop of a dilapidated building stood a young man dressed in sportswear, looking in Accelerator's direction.
"It is the Level 5 spatial ability user from yesterday. Damn it. The experiment will fail again." One researcher slammed his fist against the control console.
"I previously requested authorization to deploy internal security personnel, but the request was denied."
"Wait. We have retrieved his identity from the database," another researcher suddenly exclaimed.
"Arata. First year, Class 7, a certain high school. Level 5. Ability classification: Telekinesis. Codename: Telekinesis Manipulation."
"What? The eighth Level 5 that was announced an hour ago?"
"What is going on here?"
"The earlier data clearly indicated spatial movement."
"So he is a Level 5 telekinetic, the newly recognized eighth Level 5. No wonder there was no prior information. Perhaps yesterday's phenomenon was a specialized application of telekinesis that we misidentified as spatial teleportation."
"He is making his move. Damn it."
…
"Huff… huff…"
The Misaka Sister sprinted from the rooftop to ground level, retrieved her rifle, and rushed into a narrow alleyway.
A body artificially accelerated and maintained through pharmaceutical enhancement could not compare to a naturally developed human. Even ordinary exertion required her full physical capacity.
The moment she entered the alley, a white-haired boy was already standing at the opposite end, hands in his pockets. His crimson eyes locked onto her with an unsettling smile.
"So slow. I deliberately walked here at my own pace, yet you still ended up cornered like this."
The Misaka Sister retreated a step, raised her rifle, and pulled the trigger.
A burst of automatic fire echoed through the alley.
Muzzle flashes erupted as bullets streaked toward Accelerator. The instant they made contact with his skin, their vectors reversed. The rifle shattered in her hands from the reflected force. The bullets did not pierce her body directly, but grazed her limbs, leaving thin lines of blood across her skin.
"Ugh."
She was hurled backward by the reflected kinetic force, rolled across the pavement, then forced herself upright while clutching her shoulder and fleeing again.
"Heh. I have killed nearly ten thousand of you. I have demonstrated my ability to you more times than I can count, and yet you still fail to adapt. How could something like this ever threaten me?"
Accelerator's eyes burned with madness and killing intent. He lightly kicked an empty bullet casing lying at his feet.
The casing shot forward instantly, its velocity multiplied to lethal levels as it tore toward the fleeing Misaka Sister.
After slaughtering so many of these experimental units, his experience in killing surpassed that of anyone alive.
He did not limit himself to a single method. Every motion could be a fatal strike.
"You cowardly teleporter. Why are you not showing yourself? Are you afraid you cannot escape again? The puppet you want to protect is about to be shredded in front of you."
"Heh. Hahahahaha."
His laughter echoed through the alley, warped and manic, like something inhuman clawing its way out from his throat.
Yet the casing did not strike its intended target.
Just before reaching the Misaka Sister, it collided with something invisible. The air rippled like the surface of disturbed water. A low groan accompanied the distortion.
"Do not laugh so frighteningly. You really do sound like a rabid dog barking without restraint, Accelerator."
The mocking voice reached his ears.
His expression froze for a fraction of a second, then stretched into a wide, cruel grin.
From his left front, two massive slabs of concrete, each the size of an artificial hill, tore through the air toward him with overwhelming force.
Accelerator remained perfectly still.
His murderous gaze locked onto the figure descending through the air.
"So you have finally come out, you bastard. This time, I will personally tear apart that mouth of yours that dares to mock me."
...
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GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.