Hey, Soluxy here back with another chapter for A Certain Dark Railgun and Imagine Breaker.
I am quite pleased that my first chapter gathered a lot of goodwill and interest.
This chapter will reveal what Mikoto has been doing behind the scenes. And a completely different Touma than canon. He even has a dragon tattoo, now where did he ever get that?
Don't forget to follow or favorite if you want to be alerted to new chapters!
I hope you enjoy.
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The Bridge of Fate — II.
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The one who arrived was a high-schooler.
She knew him.
15 years old, 185 centimeters tall. Spiky black hair and disheveled uniform. White shirt barely buttoned showing how muscular he was, an incredibly loose necktie just slouching from his neck and two more neckties on his pants pocket. His shoes were old and battered, probably of low quality too. And if he were to turn around with how he was sweating and how transparent the white shirt of his was, she would see a colored Dragon tattoo covering his entire back proudly.
Mikoto knew this delinquent, punk, yakuza wannabe.
He was the one she met when summer began, he was an older boy she held curiosity for and hidden admiration. He taught her how to change her perspective on things. She loved her days spending time with him on karaoke and arcades. Competing to see how many cans they could steal from the vending machine, and how many punks they could beat up.
Those long days and night with him were her treasure.
However no more, not since this hell started. Mikoto did not deserve to think of fond times anymore.
If…
Back then, when she realized the full extent of this experiment happening in the underbelly of the proud and bright Academy City, if she had cried out to him for help, would he have stood up for her?
"What the hell are you doing?!"
He asked her, with a glare that sent chills down her spine.
"Pfft… oh, what do I do at night is my business, as I recall I am the #3 level 5, the Railgun, if any low-life wishing for an easy night with me were to appear you know what would happen… don't lecture me about staying after curfew, we did that plenty of times this summer."
She waved her hand away as she leaned her back on the railing of the bridge.
"Stop it."
"Stop what, what are you talking about?"
"Stop all that grandstanding Misaka!"
Touma, the idiot, yakuza wannabe, pulled out a stack of papers from his back. "I know all about Misaka Imouto, and the Sisters, and this 'experiment,' and Accelerator, so let's both cut the shit already. Spare me the run-down Misaka."
In that second, Mikoto felt everything around her falling and breaking into pieces.
"That's… you…"
She specifically had hidden that in her teddy bear, even her dear roommate and friend Kuroko hadn't found out about it. In the first place, how did he enter her room?
"Hah, what the hell are you doing idiot? You figured all that out after just meeting my clone yesterday."
So you do know. And I'm sure a meddler like you could never let a project like this go on.
He was walking forward. His bright blue eyes were narrowed but still she continued speaking.
"Aah, jeez, why do you do this stuff?" Mikoto shot back, cutting him off. "If you've got that report, that means you came into my room without asking, didn't you? And then you went looking inside a stuffed animal… I guess I'm supposed to be thankful or something that you got so deeply into this to the point where you forget what's going on around you, but you know, that would normally get you executed. Executed!"
Mikoto said all this casually, grinning as always. You probably think I'm an accomplice or something right, that I willingly gave my DNA Map and now you're here to face off against me and beat me to the ground while proclaiming your brand of justice like always. She knew him intimately; he always took the high-ground in his fights, saying that his brand of violence was justified. And perhaps it was. So he wouldn't forgive a mass-murdered who killed more than 400 humans for 'measly clones'. That's what everyone thought in this godforsaken city, even he would think that no doubt.
"So tell me. Are you here because you couldn't forgive me?"
Mikoto's voice was oddly cheerful with a smile on her lips.
It was as if Mikoto knew he had come to denounce her. It was as if she thought that no one in the entire world would actually worry about her. His eyes narrowed so much she thought she saw the pupils of a reptilian or a feline on his eyes. As if she struck a nerve of the 15-year-old older boy.
"What are you saying?" His soul-crushing harsh voice reached her ears. "Of course I worried about you!"
"Wha…?" Mikoto lips tightened, her eyes widened, however she turned her face away from him. "E—Even if it's a lie, I guess I—I appreciate hearing it. If only you meant it…" She laughed. She laughed with a face that had given up on everything, with eyes witnessing a distant dream.
Kamijou Touma crinkled the paper on his hand with two fingers. "…It's not a damn lie."
She grit her teeth in an uneven smile, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Cold sweat was pilling up on her forehead and chin. She looked at him with uneven lips and wide eyes. "…Wha…What… huh?"
"I said, I'm not fucking lying!" he yelled back.
He just couldn't forgive her for making that face.
So this time, he did move forward.
"I apologize for going into your room without permission. I even trampled over your roommate's feelings when she wanted to know what was going on. And I'm also sorry for that. But what are you doing? I don't think you got this report by asking permission, either. There was this map buried in there. They all seem like institutes researching sicknesses, but what are those red X marks drawn on it? It's almost like…"
"… Kill marks, right?"
"What did you do? Say it to me."
"And what would you do once you learn what I did?"
"Say it."
He left no arguments for her. Now it was time to crush his hope for her, after she said this, he would surely just throw her away. All that talk from earlier would just disappear.
"Haa Haaa… what else is there to say…? I destroyed 22 institutes. Each equipment costs millions; every lab more than a hundred million."
He was almost having a sigh of relief. How cute of him, it was time to crush his little hope for a monster like her. "Is that—" he was cut off by her.
"Oh, I also killed 400 researchers who were working on those labs. It's to send a message you know? Work on this project and you will die, that sort of thing. Oh but their screams were great, I got really creative with my magnetism, do you know that I can forge weapons now? Oh recently there was a 20-year-something woman who was just entering the research, I made a drill with the metals scattered around and slowly drilled a hole in her uterus, it was so pretty you know~"
"…"
"There was another one, where I practiced my Railgun on, his chest was singed after that, who could have known that my lightly-powered Railgun was so powerful to leave a clean hole, melt and vaporize both his lungs, even his heart and bones went with it. He was just blown away with a surprised look in his face, it wasn't even one of pain, it was just that look when you open your mouth during a brain freeze. Like this Ahn…"
"…"
"Remember my iron sand blade? I wanted to see what would happen if I could control iron in the blood of people. I didn't know that people's blood turned yellow when I concentrated their iron in one part. Most people have 4 grams of iron, so I made a micro blade that vibrated ten times the speed of sound. It was like I was doing an internal surgery."
"…"
"There's this classmate of mine, she's also an Esper whose basis was Electromastery, her ability is called Rampage Dress which lets her augment her own physical strength with her bioelectricity, I kind of copied it, but while hers its activated, mine is somewhat permanent. So it seems I can punch steel walls and run faster than the speed of sound. So there was this pudgy researcher kid, right off his graduation in his university, I wanted to see how strong I was so, I ripped his head along with his spine, the blood fountain was so sweet."
"…"
"I didn't even know there were criminal groups that worked in the darkness of the city. I only came to knowledge about Skill-Out just recently, but to think there were groups of Espers who did everything from trafficking to hitman work. I always thought that the students of this city were just that, students, working hard every day, completing school assignments. Of course there were the usual delinquents, but every school has those right? But I didn't expect that there were groups in the darkness, full of teenagers doing dirty work for the higher ups. I met one such group this week. They were called ITEM or something, a group of four girls with the 4# Level 5, the Meltdowner leading them. She was probably the oldest and didn't look older than 16, killing them was such a joy. That bitch thought that my title as the #3 was just some joke. So I melted her stomach with her own ability."
Everything was for him to look upon her in complete disgust. She wanted him to reject her after listing how much of a sadistic mass-murdered she turned into. She was not a good person and she wanted him to specifically know it, she was a monster and wanted him to spit on her face. Say that she was not worth saving. Say that she was as bad as Accelerator if not worse. Say that he was disgusted that her innocent sisters had such an awful big sister such as her. Mikoto wanted him to fold up in pure revulsion and shock at her words.
So Misaka Mikoto continued speaking like an insane little girl. Playing up her musical tone to the max. Perhaps she was as insane and as sadistic as she portrayed herself on her speech, she did not know anymore. But this was all an act for him to leave.
"…Are you satisfied?"
"Huh?"
All this time, the boy in front of her was not amused nor horrified.
"What is the purpose of telling me how you killed them? You aren't thinking that I'd shy away from you if I discovered that'd you were knee deep in blood, did you? Get real, Misaka."
"H—Huh?" All this time she thought he was the champion of all that is good, that if he saw how she was such a mass-murdering psychotic monster he would finally blame her, say what she did was wrong, condemn her and throw her in a jail cell for the rest of her days, just like how her roommate Kuroko would do.
"I see, you were bothered by this enough that you ended up killing people. You've kept yourself bottled up all this time. I'm sorry…"
Why is he apologizing for something I did! Mikoto almost had a headache of how pretentions and arrogant this boy was being.
"Whatever you say idiot…I'm not accepting your apology."
"I know."
Misaka leaned again on the rails and looked to the sky, then with a miserable and tired voice continued.
"…You know my sisters? They all say they're test animals with a straight face," she dropped. "Test animals. You know how rats and stuff get treated?" she said almost angrily. "I looked it up because it was bothering me, but boy, is it cruel…."
Test animals.
Cutting holes open in their skulls with a saw without even giving them anesthesia, dripping drugs directly into their brains, all in a search for data. They see how many millimeters of the medicine it takes before the animal starts coughing up blood and before they die in an agonizing death. The scientists do this every single day and record their results in their papers. When they run out of data, they put together a male and a female in a cage so they could forcibly reproduce to have more test subjects, being born just for scientist to play around with your body and not knowing freedom. Then, when the experiment is over, they just dump the leftover animals into an incinerator where without truly ever living they are ended by the greed of a higher being.
Mikoto clenched her teeth, and her throat moved like it was suppressing a gag. "My sisters all know exactly what test animals are. And yet they still call themselves that with a calm voice."
She put her hand on her head to alleviate a bit of her stress. "And the project started with me." Mikoto started walking towards him, as if she were going to pass him by without any glance anymore. "That's why I have to save them — my sisters, with my own hands."
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"There is another experiment tonight. Number #10032. I'm going to cut it off. When you think about it, it's straightforward. This experiment is to make Accelerator stronger. So things are simple. If Accelerator dies an electrifying death, then the project will completely halt."
In other words, this is what she wanted to do — Erase Accelerator from existence by her own power. She already killed almost 400 researchers and destroyed more than 22 institutes, causing billions in damages. She killed the #4 Level 5 and still they would continue this damn project. That's how much value the governing board saw in this fucked up project.
The last piece was Accelerator, he was the main gear that kept things going, if he suddenly died it would spell trouble even for the higher-ups. Without a person to shift to Level 6, the low-level researchers would start to question what was the project worth in the first place when it sacrificed 400 of their peers for nothing.
Mikoto was about to pass Touma by when his muscular arm blocked the way.
"You're lying out of your ass. I said to cut the crap, didn't I? If you thought you could kill Accelerator you would have done so instead of going on destroying laboratories and institutes." Kamijou Touma continued. "Since you didn't kill Accelerator right off the bat. Then it means that you couldn't. Even if you were able to kill the #4, you still couldn't beat the #1 no matter what you tried."
"Get out of the way… please."
"According to the Project's report it is stated that the Railgun will die after 185 moves. Are you really going to face this prick when you know you'll just die?"
The initial calculations didn't account for her exponential growth. It was made when she was stagnating herself. But no matter, even if the calculations were remade using her new level of strength. The result would be still this: Misaka Mikoto would lose against Accelerator.
"You're right, even if I grew exponentially stronger since this summer started. So much so that even the #4, Meltdowner couldn't stand a single chance against me after all that showboating of hers saying that she had the biggest firepower of the Level 5s. I could probably even destroy this city if I really tried…"
Even the greatest army in the world might perish against her in a straight fight. However no matter how strong Mikoto got. The power difference between her and Accelerator was an uncrossable chasm. There was a fundamental difference between how both Level 5's powers worked that no matter how much Mikoto grew she would never be able to match Accelerator. It was the sad state of affairs but this was reality.
This was not some kid's comics where the hero could go on a training arc and beat the boss. This was real life where cold hard facts ruled. And while there might have been supernatural elements in this world, everything was hard and cold with systematic rules.
And the rule was simple. You can't beat Accelerator.
Any fight was a one-sided slaughter where that monster decided the best way for you to die.
She quieted a little after she ranted.
Not even the sound of wind could be heard on this nighttime iron bridge.
In the silence, only the black kitten was meowing lovingly near them.
"…By killing Railgun 128 times, Accelerator can shift to Level 6," Mikoto said suddenly into the darkness.
"What?" He wrinkled his brow.
"But they can't prepare 128 Railguns," Mikoto sung in loneliness. "So they prepared twenty thousand Sisters as weaker copies of Railgun instead."
"So then…" The words slid off her tongue like she was talking about an enjoyable dream.
"What if I didn't have that much value? I could die before the 185th move. If I lost to him on the first move — If I disproved Tree Diagram's prediction of the fight. The researchers would need to make another simulation and with that supercomputer being destroyed a few weeks ago they wouldn't be able to."
Uncertainty and the loss of life would make sure the project would go under. They could sacrifice 400 researchers because they were so certain their little project could succeed. But with this last little plan of Mikoto, their lack of faith would start to show.
Not to mention the city could not lose two Level 5s in a week without a major social scandal. It seems killing the #4 Meltdowner came with unexpected benefits after all. Her death as the #3 Railgun would also be a great loss. She was the face of Espers in the wide world. She was the one the city used for demonstrations outside, she was the role model for children worldwide who aspired to be Espers. And greedy parents who want to send those children to the city so their kids could obtain some sort of fantasy superpower would stop purely because the honey trap was incomplete without the honey. So Mikoto was the honey to the honey trap that was Academy City. She was the aim of all children who aspired to be Espers since all other Level 5s were psychotic in one way or another, and because she was the most 'friendly' and reasonable of the 'bunch', she was shown to the world instead of the stronger #1 and #2.
The most famous Level 5, the most studied and known Level 5. The racing car on display for the world to salivate over. If that were lost, she hoped Academy City would suffer a lot for that. Her own death would be a sweet and cathartic end if that were the case.
"There is still some use left for me, after all."
"You're going there, planning to die? And you think I'm going to let that happen?!"
"Yes, in the end, you'll move out of the way."
The spiky black-haired boy in front of her didn't know the dark murky sully swamps she dragged her body through. She was now completely dirty with the blood and the suffering of others. He could not help her if he weren't willing to drag himself down to her level, the level of a dirty killer who enjoyed their victim's suffering.
She now knew that this boy would forgive even a monster like her. Being a good saint that would forgive a mass-murderer like her and speak to her like normal was nice and all. However she knew he would not do the things she did if he put on her shoes. No matter that he was built like a wrestler or had a large tattoo on his back like a yakuza wannabe, she knew Kamijou Touma would not kill anyone even if they deserved it. She knew him from the fights he caught himself into, he was violent to an extreme degree but never ever took a life, he didn't even cripple his opponents, even if they deserved it.
"You seriously believe that by dying you can save the last ten thousand sisters, don't you?"
"Yes, a life of a monster can still be used that way."
She referred to herself as a monster. Because she was, she was willing on to go on a mass-murdering spree just for this, just for her sisters.
This could only end in two ways. Mikoto dying or Accelerator dying. Even if there was a miraculous way that everybody could be saved and smile in the end, she herself would not accept that ending. She wanted to see Accelerator head on a spike, her hatred for that monster had reached unbearable levels, the situation had gone off the deep end. So even if the boy in front of her had a happy solution, she wouldn't take it, then it was better if she died on this windless night and let this mass of hatred of hers disappear completely.
Then Mikoto moved her foot just one step forward and came face-to-face with Kamijou Touma again.
"Now that you understand, get out of my way. I'm going to meet Accelerator. I've already stolen the data and learned the locations of the twenty thousand battlefields. Before one of my beloved sisters starts fighting, I'll cut in and end the fight just like that. So get out of my way," Mikoto said.
Then he replied. "It seems you don't know me well enough. You've put an image over a perfect knight over me and I dislike it."
"…huh?"
"I'm not moving. There is no way I'm letting you walk towards suicide."
A crack of thunder and a bluish-light spear of lightning struck faster than any human could ever perceive and stuck the papers on his hand, and just vaporized them. An aura of electricity surged from Mikoto's body. Her rage was enough that it started to burn and melt the asphalt. The cat that was close to them ran away without being caught in the fury of her power. Thank goodness.
"Go to hell. So you're going to stop me huh? You think that the lives of my sisters are aren't worth anything? Don't spew pretty words at me when you couldn't do the things I did. You disgust me you piece of shit."
"…"
"No response? That's hilarious. Are you thinking that my life is more valuable than my own sisters, just because you think they are clones, aren't you?"
Then Mikoto revealed the reason she become a devil. Her love. Her unbridled love for her sisters.
"I'm sorry to disappoint but my sisters are more important to me than anything in the world. I would become the worst mass-murderer in the entire human history if it meant saving their lives. I will become the biggest hypocrite, a crueler monster than even Accelerator if it meant saving them. I don't care about anything else. I would kill my best friends, even my cute junior roommate you met if it meant saving them. I—I would kill even my mama and papa if it meant saving my sisters."
What had happened for her to value her sisters she just met above the parents she loved so much? What had happened for her to value them above that loyal roommate of hers. What happened?
Why did she love her sisters so…
Mikoto would never reveal that to anybody.
"I would kill even you. If you don't get out of the way, I won't hold back, you know I won't."
He shook his head as to deny his own life. He would not move out of the way.
"So… you want to settle this by force… it's true that I've never won against you. I'm not sure what kind of ability you have. But I won't lose this time. I have the versatility of the #3 and the raw power of the #4 now. I am two Level 5s combined into one!"
To make her point a sea of black iron sand surrounded her like a Tsunami. Every single one of them was just a micron wide and could cut a human from the inside. Sparks hotter than the surface of the sun surrounded her hands. Just one strike from her hands would make asphalt burn and make every single organ fail at the same time. One hundred balls of energy appeared above her with more firepower and size and numbers than the #4 could ever produce. Every single camera near them, every single sensor and every single electronic was manipulated to not show anything. Her bioelectricity pounded her body. Just a single run would make her strike at hypersonic speeds. From her vision to her brain, everything was enhanced so she could move at that speed and strike harder than a plane crashing into your body.
"It's time I show you that I lived up to my title."
This was Misaka Mikoto.
The strongest Electromaster.
Wasn't this the absolute monster he wanted to see when he criticized her in the beginning of summer? One who didn't slack off on improving her power when things got hard. She got to this point and… if she didn't have to die tonight, she would continue improving. He should be happy.
He raised both hands.
Huh? W—What? Her eyes turned to pure anguish.
"I won't ever fight you Misaka. You should know this." He said with a tender but sad tone of voice. As if he were revealing some of his emotional weaknesses towards her.
Stop this. If you won't fight then move, please move. Stop trying to crush my resolve with your naïve idealistic pride. Don't look that sad when looking at me! It's crushing everything I did these past few weeks. Fight me! Fight me!
She manipulated the iron sand tsunami to form two different drills, they vibrated so hard it created heat, they were flaming iron sand drills, as hot as to melt the surface iron but not the iron in the interior, the heat produced was enough to rival the surface of the sun. And they struck faster than a freight train forward.
Yet he kept his sad smile as certain death approached.
Both drills struck and the wind blew. The asphalt on the impact site broke and launched asphalt pebbles in the air. The iron sand fell, the melted part made some sizzling sounds when it fell on the asphalt. Her powers weren't nullified by that right hand, she had hit him with a sand comprised of minerals, metal and rare earth materials of every hardness on the scale. Even the hardest and toughest Bunker in the world would have been pierced.
Yet. Someone walked forward. He walked forward with that sad smile with his shirt torn apart in two locations. His skin was peerless, without a single scratch.
"I see…" his eyes held such anguish.
"S—Stop it…" something was wet on her face.
She released a thunderous spear that was hotter than 50,000 Kelvin. Could melt any rock instantly when it hit. Human flesh would vaporize immediately. And yet even when the billions and trillions of volts circulated his body and blew the asphalt near his feet, he still walked forward.
""You were this bothered by it…"
"Stop it… Stop it!" she thought she was crying but monsters could not cry.
She released the power of the #4 Meltdowner, hundreds upon thousands of lasers pushed forward on that bridge that were more powerful and more precise and more controlled than the original user ever could make them, the bridge was shaking immensely. The lasers were always in a state between wave and particle, making any wall in front of it disappear. And yet they all bounced harmlessly off his skin. Similar yet different than Accelerator. She felt she was facing something completely invulnerable. Yet that wasn't possible… something with infinite durability could not possibly exist, not in this world of cold hard facts and systematic rules.
He continued walking forward.
"… That you were willing to kill for it."
"Stop it!"
She pulled an arcade coin from her skirt pocket. Her signature attack was the Railgun, but it could not be called that anymore. She flicked the coin up in the air, charged her fingers and then flicked her thumb forward when it fell.
The world itself ended.
A blinding pure white light with 10 million Kelvin of hotness was launched, she could have made it colder, she could make it tinier, but she didn't. She truly put everything she had on it. The ray of pure white light moved at relativistic speeds and would probably destroy the whole district. This was her strongest attack. Surpassing even the maximum firepower that the #4 boasted about. Even then Accelerator would not die from it. It was stated he would survive an atomic bomb launched at his face.
This time the boy made an action that wasn't just walking forward, he backhanded the spear of blinding white light to the air, and it surged like a star, escaping the planet, running upwards through the stratosphere and going off to make an endless journey across the solar system. A hundred years from now that Railgun would still be traveling in the deep universe. That blinding light would probably even outlast her life.
He did this with his left hand. Never using his power on the right.
She was frankly distracted by her biggest power being swatted away like a fly, she frankly believed even Accelerator would have some problems and struggle a bit facing that. So she did not see him approach.
He arrived in front of her. And then hugged her with both his hands.
She was pressed against his naked torso. His clothes were ruined but his body was fine. What kind of unreasonable being she was meeting since the start of summer?
His right hand touched the small of her back with tender and loving motions. And her power was suddenly gone. She could not produce a single spark once that single hand touched her.
"I didn't give you permission to hug me, idiot. I tried to truly kill you… stop concerning yourself with a monster like me."
"Sorry. I just wanted to hug you; I didn't really care about permission. I just want to have you in my arms and smell your lovely hair."
"Stop it, please." She did not deserve to be loved and embraced by the boy she was interested in. She was a monster who dragged her body through the darkest pools of humanity. And he was a blinding light on her small life. She tried to kill him, she was a hypocritical monster who would kill her best friends, her father and her mother for her sisters.
"You were bothered by it enough that you had no choice but to keep killing. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."
"W—What are you saying. I enjoyed killing those people, I even masturbated to the memories of killing those researchers. I'm sick!"
He completely ignored her and continued to smell her hair. His body was sweaty and hot. His muscles were hard, and his male stench was definitely staining her pristine and pure Tokiwadai uniform. Yet her tears continued to fall.
"Hey, Misaka… you were willing to go this far for your sisters because you loved them so much. Don't you think that the feeling is reciprocated? I don't think there is a person in the whole world your sisters love more than you. You seriously think that you dying would make your sisters happy?"
"Hahaha. W—What are you saying…? My sisters… They'll be happy and relieved once I'm dead, even if they don't admit it. I'm the cause of this whole situation, of course they don't love m—me — this is the only way I have left. If I can save my sisters at the expense of my life, then it's worth it. It's more than worth it. So please just stop this."
He hugged her even more tightly.
"I won't stop. I don't want you to die."
"You have nothing to do with this! You just met my sisters yesterday. And we're just acquaintances that meet every once in a while, to enjoy an arcade or karaoke. Why are you so intent on stopping me. Why are you smiling so tenderly at a monster like me?"
"Haha, because I thought I was so glad that I am here and on your side. If something is bothering you then it's enough for you to act. And you were bothered enough by this whole situation that you resorted to killing… I'm not some saint or some hero that will judge you and blame you like you think I am. So don't cry."
"W—Why?" her voice choked as her face became hot and the tears couldn't stop running down. She did not deserve to cry like this, not after what she did.
The black kitten arrived and was rubbing herself on his feet, trying to gather attention.
"Don't worry, I thought of a way to solve this whole situation."
He released her from the hug. He looked down at the cat and stroked its ears in affection. Mikoto kind of envied the cat, she wanted to be doted on by him as well, even if she wouldn't admit it. He gathered the cat on his arms and gave the little feline for her to hold.
And started walking away.
"What?"
"Why am I meddling in your problems? That's simple. Because I was bothered by it. And that's enough for me to want to save you. You were put in such a situation where you had to become a monster to make any progress. So if I don't show a similar resolve then I'll just end up preaching."
"Don't worry, I'm going to become a monster too, so you don't have to be alone anymore. Mikoto."
He used her first name, the first time he did so.
"The girl I love so much had to become a sadistic monster because she wanted to save her sisters that she loved so much…"
"…I'm bothered by it enough that I'm going to kill Accelerator."
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Review Corner
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logan45
I don't know how often I will update this, but I hope I can release a full 30,000+ word Arc every three months after these introductory chapters.
Qrow454
No he did not lose his memories. While I love to read his struggles with his amnesia, this fic is focused on two things. The two main characters struggle with Hypocrisy and doing the Right thing.
GlassyHades
I wanted this introductory chapter to be no more than 3000+ words long. The next chapters before the next arc will all be 5000-7000 words even though i normally write above 10,000-20,000 word long chapters. The first chapters will be brief so the readers can get a feel. After that every chapter will be epic length I think.
YoLO1992
The Yuri tension will begin only in Daihasei festival arc for Mikoto's side. However I am still doubting when to start all the sexual stuff. Sure I might tease here and there but do my readers prefer long-con romance or lemons right away?
Fortitude501
Everyone that has breasts and vaginas is in his harem, I'm serious. Even little Kuroko will start having feelings for him after Remnant. But main pairing will be Mikoto x Touma x Misaki, a three-way relationship.
Aminadab Brulle
Guess who's going to join GROUP, now that Accelerator will be gone from the story... xD
0 Jordinio 0
Let me just start by saying that I read every single of your Toaru's stories religiously. I love your work. As for the darker Touma personality, I'll explain a little bit below. As for his power, he has a lot in this fic almost to the point of being godlike, but it doesn't mean he's completely invincible. But right now for the reader and for the people around him he is.
Blankow
No cap, I like Hamazura a lot, however I still feel like there are too many protagonists that later New Testament novels feel too crowded and leaves some motivations shallow. This isn't a critiscism against Kamachi though, I love his work.
IllusionBreaker
Yes, I'm also invested.
UnkownSoul
Screwed up is one of the fics I adore with my full heart. I hope the author continues his amazing work.
Question
I hope you like what I have in store for Touma in the future. I love to write about powers as much as the next guy and there will be a lot of struggles in this fic. However this fic's main theme will be in terms of morality, hypocrisy, imperfection and struggling to do the right thing.
Don't forget to leave your review on the latest chapter if you want questions answered or engagement with the author on the next chapter.
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Author's notes
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Next chapter I'll reveal a list of people that can beat Touma as he is just so you guys know where he stands on the power scaling side of things. But I won't be revealing the secrets behind his power for a long time. Suffice to say, none of the earlier enemies hold a candle but the later antagonists on the other hand...
Many people thought that Touma was already dark from the start or from past events. Make no mistake what's driving him there is Mikoto herself.
She was influenced by his brand of violence when he dealt with delinquents back when she met because she admired him and so she emulated that level of violence. however when she met Accelerator she fully snapped and went on a sadistic path of darkness because she loved her sisters more than anything. Now Touma is being influenced by her brand of violence because he also admires her. Creating a feedback loop of violence and trying to stay on the same stage to not leave the other alone.
People often emulate those who they admire.
They admire each other, that's why they will be pushed so low it won't be funny. And it will take a long time before they break this vicious cycle.
Last chapter I revealed the basic premise for the story, now its time to reveal the main theme: morality, hypocrisy, imperfection, choosing what's easy and struggling to do the right thing.
Both Mikoto and Touma will be extremely flawed when it comes to mentality and that will push them hard to the bad side of morality and it will be a slow-burn to drag them back from the darkness. So they will be absolutely powerful on the surface, with truly a few enemies that could challenge them and what makes them crumble will be the struggle to do the right thing.
There will be a lot of growing pains, a lot of mistakes and hypocrisy thrown around. But that's what makes them imperfect and human.
That's what I want to explore in this longfic.
Also I can barely wait to throw this improved Misaka Mikoto against Kamisato's faction and watch her singlehandedly wreck every single member. That might be the reason I'm writing this, I dunno...
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