This is about a week late, but I was really busy with school stuff. Sorry about that.

luizfernandocordovil007: Thanks :)

m3sn: Yeah, it's a bit different than what you might expect. 11 is the value of the abyss, but Accelerator's value for this story represents something different. Read it to find out!

Accelerators Fan: To rise up after falling is the definition of being the strongest.

Xeno01: The hero-once-villain must now shatter the illusions of the new villain... or maybe...

KinDoRh: Yes, hopefully I'm not writing anything too inconsistent. This is an AU afterall, and maybe different only a little in some aspects and a lot in other aspects of the main story.

Anyways, thank you all for reading! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The To Aru Series is owned by Kazuma Kamachi.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

It was only at midnight when Coronzon decided to finally strike.

The demon toned down her 'hunt' during the few hours leading up to the final confrontation which was welcomed by Accelerator. It gave the esper a few much-needed hours to rest and contempt the previous statements made by the now-gone voice in his head.

"Did you honestly expect surprises from static evil?"

Coincidentally, the esper noticed that it was fast approaching the exact time when he began his fight against Touma. The one fight that saw the first-ever defeat of the first-ranked esper and the end of the Sister Experiment.

Perhaps Coronzon knew of this, wanting the boy to feel the same sense of humiliation he felt during that August night.

In which case, Accelerator had to finally agree with what the voice had said about evil being cliché.

Still, even if evil stayed static, the same couldn't be said for the villains. His fight against the hero was his first taste of defeat, but it was also much more significant than just a case of losing. After all, if Accelerator really wanted to win, it would have been much easier for the esper to attempt another Level 6 shift experiment.

To continue to seek more 'power' and plot his revenge.

In the end, he didn't do any of that. Yet, somehow, he achieved what he really wanted: not power, but a family with Yomikawa, Last Order, and yes, even Worst.

Accelerator's obsession with power was him lying to himself about what he truly desired. His defeat against Touma and his first meeting with Last Order made him realize this.

His road diverged at those points, and in the end, an invisible force had nudged him toward the harder, more painful road toward redemption.

"Because it would be the right thing to do."

Now, with the foot on the other shoe, the once arrogant villain would play the role of the hero to stop the delusional villain from completing their atrocity-ridden plan. Whatever Coronzon would proclaim to want would only be illusions covering the truth. The real desire of the demon.

"Realizing a sense of déjà vu, aren't you?"

It was time for the esper to break those illusions.

The Tokyo skyline was now replaced by the pitched darkness of space. A full moon had shorn that night, illuminating the atmosphere with its dim reflection. There were no stars, but the automatic lights of Academy City buildings set the stage for the upcoming confrontation. Wherever Accelerator went, it would be easy to quickly catch his movement.

The same couldn't necessarily be said for the demon, however. After all, she was meant to be the static evil in this fight. Coronzon will stay in the center waiting for the esper to finally fight one last time: face-to-face.

That was going to happen eventually. Accelerator couldn't really win without fighting. However, he wasn't going to go in right away. That would not be a part of the plan.

As such, he waited at the end of a road at the outer perimeter of Academy City's District 3. Unlike the last fight, Accelerator had no need to start the battle. If the cat wanted to catch the mouse, it would be up to Coronzon to chase him this time, not the other way around.

"Are you still attempting to oppose me?" The demon's voice boomed throughout the city. "Look at your state! A small fly could knock you out."

The neon white lights of the city suddenly turned dark red. The digital billboards scattered throughout Academy City flickered on to show Coronzon's face. Not the one of Laura, but the same demonic features Accelerator had previously seen on the back of her hair during their first fight.

Coronzon had finally started the final game with the first move. Now Accelerator had to reciprocate in kind.

Accelerator placed his hand on the entrance gate of district 3. As expected, he felt a surge of magic flowing 60 degrees south in two splitting paths down the road.

"Thinking of breaking out and running away? I don't blame you, but it's far too late for any of that. You have angered your master toy; I have started to grow tired of this game… but perhaps I can play one last time before you burn away."

Accelerator replied in a lazy manner that surprised the demon. "Nah, just making sure the sealing spell was still here. I don't want YOU to get any ideas of running away once I beat the absolute shit out of you."

The esper continued his 'gloating' against the demon with a more sinister tone this time. "I'm not stuck here with you and are stuck in here with me!"

"After all, we are talking about the 'great demon from the abyss' who is somehow too cowardly to fight a human even after locking out his ability."

Absolutely shameless bravado: especially with the fact that the esper had spent most of the day running away anytime Coronzon had boomed her voice across the city. Still, it had its intended effect. The face on the billboards morphed into a hideous scroll before all of them instantly shut off.

Suddenly a large amount of blonde hair blocked out the dimly illuminated moon. The movement of the hair was almost mesmerizing, but the boy managed to break himself out of hypnosis.

He couldn't afford to be hesitant, especially for what was coming next.

The strands of hair wrapped around each other, forming a circle between their spaces. And just like before, the boy was bombarded by elements.

Using the calculations, he thought out beforehand, Accelerator gravitated his body to the edge of the road that connected Academy City with Tokyo.

As expected, the magical spells switched directions and homed in on him.

Before the spells could hit, Accelerator used another pre-made calculation to manipulate their vectors.

It didn't go straight back toward the demon's hair. That was not part of his plan; instead, the spells were scattered in many different directions, carving holes in the interconnecting Tokyo-Academy Road of district 3.

The sealing spell was not damaged, but the aftermath of the attack had carved the road with numerous carters.

The first phase was complete, but Accelerator couldn't congratulate himself yet. The esper had no doubt that Coronzon would continue with these attacks until he finally showed his face again at District 1.

But he was counting on that.

With a burst of speed, he willed himself to fly southeast, following the flow of magic straight toward one of its vertices: District 23.

"Did I hit you too hard during our last game? Your behavior is now completely shameless. Claiming to be able to defeat me yet running towards everywhere but where I am." The screens of Academy City flickered on again as Coronzon asked the boy, mystified.

"Only a real villain can understand the aesthetics of evil." Accelerator retorted with a wide laugh. "The gate where I was just at contained one of the sealing points of Aleister's spell."

"All that power, yet you still couldn't break it… just like my shield. I'm showing the world just how powerless you are before I finally destroy you!"

Accelerator's mention of the 'Banner of the West' should have alerted Coronzon that the esper was planning on things more than just taunting, but the boy's audacity had brought the demon blood to a boiling point.

"The spell will not last once Crowley arrives in England. FOCUS ON YOURSELF, INSOLENT TOY!" The demon roared. "Your meager taunts will not delay the inevitable."

Coronzon's hair on the night sky glowed brightly in the dark before a massive stream of fire and lightning bombarded the boy's location.

Just like last time, Accelerator moved on to the main road of District 23 before once again deflecting the spells in a seemingly haphazard manner.

Likewise, the blasts scattered holes around him and into the road.

On to District 13. Had Coronzon assessed the situation up until now, she would have realized what was going on before simply smiting Accelerator dead. However, the esper's taunting the done its work. At the insult of her abilities, Accelerator had forced the demon into a match of pride.

She was completely blindsided.

Flying into District 13, a massive wave of spells and elements cascaded on the esper's position like a roaring tsunami.

Dashing forwards, the boy landed on the main road of District 13 before the attack crashed into him.

Waves upon waves of vectors flooded into his brain, and he had no way of calculating such an attack in real time. He had to trust that his previous work was enough to redirect most of the magic to where he wanted it to go.

One second passed… then another… then five more passed, and still, the attack didn't stop.

Accelerator grunted. So far, his pre-determined calculations were holding up, but the esper didn't know if it would last.

Finally, the spells stopped. Accelerator was certainly not uninjured following the assaults- far from it, but the first half of the esper's plan was complete.

To defeat Coronzon now, all he needed to do now was to meet the demon back at District 1- where they initially fought.

However, if he was to truly understand the demon and not just defeat her like the voiced had claimed, Accelerator couldn't fight her just yet.

"Honestly, what is the point of this nonsense?!" Accelerator yelled at a tall billboard displaying Coronzon's face.

Coronzon's faces morphed into sadistic smirks on the billboards. Was the boy finally realizing the futility of opposing her?

"Surrendering now, toy? If you grovel hard enough, I might make it painless. Maybe…" The demon sang.

The esper glossed passed that offer. "All this power to do anything you want, but you spend it all trying to break me down instead…."

"Is there a purpose to this?"

"My contract with Mathers, once I bring Aleister to ruin, I will finally achieve my freedom."

Coronzon's standing hair curled across the skyline.

"And to truly ruin Aleister, you plan on destroying everything he has ever created?" The esper growl.

"Possessing his daughter, killing me, I supposed you will go after the damn hero next."

"OH, HO! What a smart toy." Coronzon grinned. "Don't take this personally. You understand where I am coming from, right? Haven't you been searching for freedom against Aleister all this time?"

There it was.

The hallmarks of evil.

The strive for a singular goal no matter who got hurt in the process.

"I want complete power- invincibility."

The afflictions against their victims. Not as a show of strength but as a cry for help. To get them to stop the process because they were too weak to do so themselves.

"If Misaka told you: 'I don't want to fight anymore, would you have stopped?"

The final desperate attempt at pity. To convince itself that they weren't the only ones who would go down the path they had chosen.

"You get that, right? Being a Level 5."

And the already-known realization that what they were promised wasn't what they really wanted.

Coronzon claimed to have wanted freedom. For what truly? Like Accelerator's past obsession with power, freedom by itself was meaningless. All it did was hide her true desires.

He had this exact conversion with Misaka Mikoto when he was the villain. However, The third-ranked esper hadn't seen the signs. Not that he expected her to. The evils committed during that experiment were his burden.

But Coronzon had fallen into the exact same path that he had. He needed to stop it, not because it was affecting him, but because it was the right thing to do for Coronzon herself.

The boy suddenly rocketed himself to where the demon was – District 1.

Traveling near the speed of sound, Accelerator could now see the demon in person and vice versa. As the boy raised his fist to strike at the demon, the magical hair of Coronzon came down and whipped back at Accelerator.

The boy flew backward, narrowing, avoiding hitting the strands.

"Finally gotten tired of running now, toy?" Coronzon continued to smirk. "Have you come to face me again? To finally accept your fate?"

Accelerator once again played along with her taunts. "That's a lot of statements for someone who had to lock away my powers."

"Although I can see why it would have been too easy for me to beat you before."

The boy continued to laugh mockingly.

"Now it is a much more even fight!"

Coronzon's face morphed into an ugly scowl. Men, women, old, or young, an insult to one's ability would always get a reaction out of the offended.

Accelerator felt his body getting lighter, his mind clearing and his heart beating… properly? It was as if a metaphorical clog blocking his organ systems had suddenly been removed.

"INSOLENCE!" The demon yelled again as she began to rise from the ground. Her hands were stretched out, and Accelerator didn't need a ritual chant to know what would happen next.

"Every number is the same. My right hand contains Nuit of Resurrection. Watch as the possibilities expand and surpass the bounds of the finite."

A shining light started to appear over the black sky. Accelerator would once again be facing down an attack that rivaled the force of a Magic God.

My left hand contains Hadit of Vengeance. The smallest point gathers and concentrates all forces to create a single meaning.

He had his powers back now, but the boy had already planned for this moment without them.

Thus, an attack shall be released from the infinite acceleration of the Circle of Ra-Hoor-Khuit and shall appear on the surface layer of this world."

Unexpectedly, the boy stretched out his arms, waiting for the attack to come.

"Magick: Flaming_Sword. Manifest thyself through descent of the Sephirah and bathe him in thy power.

And as the sword fell, the motions of the first-ranked esper's plan fell into place. The attack shattered the newly rebuilt district before falling on the boy.

As the attack come upon him, Accelerator's calculations did their work.

Like the spells that bombarded him beforehand, the boy wasn't trying to reflect the attack back at her. Instead, he was redirecting it.

But cracks in his estimations were starting to appear.

The attack continued forward before it was only a mere centimeter from hitting him. The metaphorical sword was setting his entire body on fire.

So, his original calculations were still wrong.

But, Coronzon had thrown away her assured victory by removing the clog in the esper's body. Using his now-returned ability, the boy had the last push needed to complete the redirection.

The energy of the spell dispersed around him, craving the ground beneath the two combatants.

Accelerator was almost knocked unconscious again. Using his fist, the esper steadied himself against the cracked pavement of the battlefield.

"All this resistance…." Coronzon slowly spoke, almost mimicking Accelerator's speech beforehand. "Yet, you are once again gravely injured. Do you still plan on fighting this futile battle?"

But with that statement, Accelerator did the last thing that Coronzon expected.

He laughed.

He was still on the ground, but the indistinguishable sound of laughter filled the silence of Academy City.

"HA HA HA HA!" The albino hollered, not in a much different way than Coronzon had once laughed beforehand. "Correct! Our game is over, and it appears that you have somehow managed to have snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!"

Coronzon's eyes narrowed in anger, refusing to believe a single word from the boy. "Have you gone mad? What in the world are you talking about?"

"333," Accelerator answered instantly.

"What!?"

"Your numerical value." Accelerator reminded the demon. His smile barred teeth as he spoke his next statement.

"But in Gematria, it would be Shin Lamed Gimel."

"What are you attempting at… no…." Coronzon muttered to herself. The demon always had a birds-eye view of the city. But it was only now done she saw three specific glyphs in the place where she had once bombarded the esper with attacks.

Gimel - ג

Lamed - ל

Shin - ש

By the direction of her attacks, the boy had craved her numerical value on the streets of Academy City. Moreso, he had them arranged in the formation of an equilateral triangle. The same places holding the 'Banner of the West' containment spell.

Accelerator couldn't use magic to set up the contract, but he didn't have to. By using Aleister's spell as if it was some sort of makeshift ley line, he could draw power from it instead.

"And the final glyphs from your ace spell." Accelerator taunted as he pointed around the battlefield.

Indeed, the redirected Magick: Flaming_Sword had carved three other symbols in the pavement of District 1.

Beth - ב

Yod - י

Resh - ר

The symbols were arranged in a similar order to the triangle across the city, with 'Alpeh' representing the base of the triangle and both 'Bet' flanking to the side and behind the base. However, this time, another vector was added to the mix.

Accelerator would stand ahead where the symbols were craved. Now, four bases were to be accounted for.

Instead of a triangle, the symbols would form a cross with Accelerator at the apex.

"212. This is my own numerical value."

As the boy spoke, Coronzon finally realized what the esper was planning.

"You are fucking insane! You are planning a contract!? This foolish ambition will kill you in the process!"

Accelerator paid no heed to the demon's warning. As the esper chanted the ritual, he attempted to draw the memories of Mina Mather's lessons and what the voice had told him about the true meaning of his numerical value.

The invisible lines between each Gematria symbol glowed a spectacularly platinum white. A triangle containing Coronzon's value surrounded a cross that contained Accelerator's value. Coronzon looked wide-eyed at the esper as the light built a barrier protecting him during the ritual.

"My numerical value is 212. My nature is choice. This nature dispels the notions of only good or evil. No road can be defined into a singularity. No road should. My name is Accelerator. The roads of the world are open to all that travel upon them."

"This contract will be fulfilled between Accelerator and Coronzon. Between choice and dispersion. My demands are as follows…."

Accelerator paused at that moment, almost breaking the process of his spell. Outside the shimmering lights glowing around the boy, Coronzon was desperately casting every spell in her arsenal in a last-ditch attempt to stop the esper.

But that wasn't the fact that was distracting him. No, it was something else entirely.

The contract itself.

The following sentence should have been simple: 'Return to the abyss.' The battle would be over, and the esper would have won.

To force Coronzon back to the abyss, to make her taste defeat, allowing the demon to slew in her anger before she could finally understand her wrongs.

It's what a hero would have done.

It's what Touma did for him.

Would it work for Coronzon though? His defeat against Touma was a split in his life that allowed him to choose the road of redemption.

But it wasn't the most important one. That title belonged to his first meeting with Last Order… wait, no. It belonged to the time when he took the bullet for the girl…or when he vowed to protect the sisters? When he faced his hardships in Russia?

Ultimately, every time he had two roads to choose to walk down was an essential part of his path towards redemption. No single choice had changed him. It was an accumulation of all of them made by his own decisions.

If he sent Coronzon back, would there be a Last Order to guild her to redemption? Would there be anyone for the demon to vow to protect?

Could the demon even get the option to choose redemption?

"…even if evil stayed static, the same couldn't be said for the villains."

And perhaps the heroes didn't either.

He wasn't going to be that type of hero. He wasn't going to shatter the Coronzon's illusions.

Instead, he would give Coronzon a chance to do so for herself.

The voice in his head had stated that his nature was meant to represent choice. Now was the time to prove it.

"I offer my soul to bind the great demon Coronzon to me. With this contract, I offer her a chance to pursue her own choices.

It was a contract that seemed all too similar to Mathers. But Mathers had offered Coronzon her 'freedom' in exchange for ruining Aleister.

Now, the esper's contract had directly given Coronzon the thing she craved when she was first summoned.

It was something that surprised even the demon herself. The idea was foolhardy. If anything, Coronzon could simply kill him after the contract was finished.

She wouldn't.

Accelerator was sure of it. Coronzon had the choice, but like the invisible force that pulled him towards helping Last Order, she too would do something that would surprise him… and herself.

"With this contract, may Coronzon be free to walk her own path. May she be free to define herself against the shackles that hold her."

As the boy spoke his words, his wounds once again burst open.

The contract lingered as the lights faded, revealing to the demon an unconscious boy on the verge of death.

Stupid. So stupid. The boy had thrown away his chance to kill her or, at the very least, send her back to the abyss powerless.

However, he had spent his plan on… this? For what? Coronzon would get her freedom when she ruined Aleister. Not from whatever this idiotic act was supposed to be.

Accelerator's unconscious heartbeat slowed to a crawl. Time was running out for the esper. Without a miracle intervention, the boy would surely die very soon.

A contract required two deals. The boy had given his end of the deal, but she still hadn't given hers.

And like how, Accelerator had predicted. Coronzon also felt the same invisible force pushing her towards a specific end decision. Like Accelerator's epiphany at meeting Last Order, it wasn't forced on her, but nevertheless, it was something she felt complied to do.

"Because it would be the right thing to do."

"In return, I, Coronzon, will protect you."

3.7K words.

The next chapter is probably going to be the first time I make actual references to Adam, Eve and Eden.

To which I say to myself: Congrats dumbass you're a 1/3rd of the fic in, and only now do you write about what the title actually implies.

With the meat out of the way, the next few chapters are going to focus on Accelerator and Coronzon's new relationship. This is my first attempt at writing romance, so apologizes if I'm not very good at first.