Kuroko watched Mikoto disappear into the 11th dimension. Her right hand held out still, as if trying to grab from thin air her Onee-sama, Mikoto's promises to Kuroko, and the hope that the situation would end up all right for everybody. Mikoto was somewhere else, the promises were distant from fulfilment, and the hope resembled a fantasy. Kuroko let out a despondent sigh. Her heart shattered from seeing her beloved Mikoto's despaired, contorted face and hearing her pleading voice full of trepidation.

'Sorry, Onee-sama' was all Kuroko managed to utter. In the face of monstrosity, humans are so weak and feeble and their products, so fragile. Promises, miracles, hope, good-will - all which humans hope can last forever appear almost like illusions. Nobody can rely on those futile concepts, and the only way to get the better of one's life was to struggle and to fight.

It is fine. Kuroko had a plan, and if Kuroko could work hard, she would get there.

If this battle couldn't end up the most ideal way, at least she could make the best out of it by saving the sisters and Touma from death.

Her next job was to get Touma and go. Looking up, she saw the plasma growing ever larger and looking down, she saw Touma lying immobile on the ground.

Kuroko's whole body was aching badly. She couldn't count how many bones were broken inside her, or how many scratches were on her body. Nevertheless, she tried to stand up. She bent her leg to touch the ground and straightened her arms to reach out for the wired fence to pull herself up. Pains almost consumed Kuroko as she did so, but she eventually managed to grab the metal wires. Kuroko's vision was filled with a mess of images of unrecognisable shapes and colours (with the night being illuminated by the plasma) confused further by her own sensual distortion due to extreme pain. Winds blew strongly, threatening to tear Kuroko's fingers away from the wired fence at any instance. Despite that, Kuroko held on and managed to stand up, but she could not walk. The strong winds hindered movements, and she managed to only stand where she was.

Among the mirages in Kuroko's eyes, one clear and distinct object stood out.

Touma, whom she knew she must save.

Be him dead or alive, Kuroko needed to check on him and take him. Away from this maniac arena.

She needed to save him. She must do it.

The smiles. The smiles of people began to appear in Kuroko's mind. She recalled Mikoto's smile when she was on her lap a few weeks ago, Touma's smile when he saved her from Accelerator's attack just minutes ago; Uiharu's soft smile, that of her best partner; Saten's cheerful but sometimes irritating smile, and many others' smiles.

Kuroko needed to defend them. Kuroko must protect them.

She would not die. She swore she would never again destroy Touma's dream and Mikoto's promise to keep her safe.

To defend those smiles, she would keep as many people safe as possible.

She would keep everybody safe.

No one is dying on Kuroko's watch.

Misaka finally stopped crying. Even though she was reasonably sad, she knew she mustn't keep crying and not do a single thing. She must find a way to fulfil her promises to Kuroko, to help Touma achieve his dream, and to protect her sisters by stopping the Experiment.

She knew there was a way. She knew it all along. She must sacrifice herself. If her death could save 9969 Sisters, Touma and Kuroko, she felt it was worth it.

9971 is greater than 1.

Looking up, Mikoto saw the plasma. The plasma was bright white, signifying death. The creator of death was directly below the plasma - Accelerator, who could kill with the touch of a finger but not at all satisfied with the power he already had. Illuminated by the plasma which was thirsty to kill and to bring hell down to Earth, Accelerator was the self-proclaimed and undeniable processor of Absolute Power - the power to kill en masse and to deny the chance of being stopped by anybody.

Except for Touma the idiot, whom the plasma would soon destroy.

In the direction of death, Mikoto dashed.

'Accelerator!'

Now metres away from Accelerator, Mikoto stood firmly. A coin in her right hand, Mikoto stared at Accelerator with contempt.

'Hm?'

Tilting his head slightly, Accelerator looked at Mikoto out of the corners of his eyes.

Holding the coin out in her right hand and aiming it at the plasma, Misaka began applying electricity. But the coin could not move. It appeared that the energy from the plasma repelled the coin, like how the prospect death dispelled hope.

I can't... destroy the plasma?

She lost her last means to protect everybody, if not anybody.

And he was... planning to blow this entire area away...?

Her sacrifice would be worthless. She could not change anything.

No... Touma... Kuroko... Sisters...

Everybody would be killed. 9971, added by 1, will be equated to 0.

Those eyes... He might have paid more attention to a worm than me...

Mikoto was utterly helpless. She couldn't save anyone.

I must stop him, to save them.

She swore she would do it.

But... how?

How...?

Touma... Kuroko... Sisters...

...

Suddenly, Mikoto heard a voice.

'Then stop that monster's rampage. Help Kuroko by stopping that monster so that you can save everyone.'

Kuroko's voice sounded and resounded, forming an endless train of repeated desperate appeals. Holding back the tears that suddenly welled up in her eyes and suppressing the sudden convulse of her heart, Mikoto began a string of careful contemplation.

How can I stop Accelerator?

He formed a plasma... By compressing the air in Academy City...

He is controlling the vectors of the currents' movements and manipulating them to press them at one point.

Wait... air currents?

So if I change the air currents, he would not be able to do accurate calculations to compress them. The plasma will dissipate because the air currents will disturb the stationary air at that point and cause them to travel in other directions.

How can I alter the movements of air currents then?

I'm an electromaster... I can only manipulate EM waves...

...

Electromagnetism...

EM motor... They use a combination of current and polarities to cause a coil to turn in a specific direction!

So if I can strike at wind turbines a combination of currents and magnetism, I can cause them to rotate in a controlled direction! In that way, I can change the flow of air, disrupt Accelerator's calculation and stop his rampage to save them!

But my power is limited... I can at most manipulate 5 or 6 turbines myself... That would be insufficient...

Just if there are more of me, I will be able to do it.

...

More of me?

Sisters!

Mikoto quickly looked around and her eyes fixated on a mass of something a few miles behind her. Torn uniform, torn skirt and bright golden hair were the three distinctive visual features.

Misaka knew what it was. It was herself - Misaka 10032 to be more precise.

Misaka ran towards her sister and knelt at the side. Her hands held onto Misaka 10032's left arm and began shaking it.

'I'm begging you. Please wake u-'

'Teh?'

She's cold... Don't tell me...

'Please...'

And what exactly am I asking her to do in this state?

Mikoto turned around, and her eyes widened. She saw Touma lying on the floor and Kuroko struggling to stand up. Both of them were bleeding and silently suffering.

Because of Mikoto's fault.

Because of Mikoto's gullibility to believe that the researchers would use her DNA map to treat muscular atrophy.

Because of Mikoto's lack of the bravery to stop Touma from coming here to fight Accelerator.

Because of Mikoto's failure to protect Kuroko.

Teeth clenched. Tears shed.

Mikoto turned back to her sister.

'I know I'm asking for the utterly unreasonable,'

Why...?

'I also know how cruel I am asking this.'

Why am I so weak...?

'But there is one thing I want you to do,'

Tokiwadai's Ace?

'No. That's wrong.'

One of the seven Level 5s in this city...?

'Something only you can do.'

I can't do anything...

'I can't protect anyone...'

I can't heal her wounds...

'I can't keep anyone safe myself...'

I can't stop Accelerator's rampage...

'So please,'

I can't keep Kuroko safe as promised...

'I'm begging you.'

I can't help Touma achieve his dream to bring everyone back smiling!

'Please,'

I can't grant Kuroko her wish to save everyone at the same time!

'Protect them!'

'I don't... understand... I don't understand... those words...'

Mikoto felt a soft, warm mass touching her left hand. She gently held them up and locked her five fingers with her sister's.

Tears torrented down Mikoto's cheeks, which have curled up to show a smile.

'But... for a strange reason...'

Misaka 10032 now looked up at Mikoto. Soft and glamorous, those eyes were filled with life and optimism.

'those words... powerfully resonated in me.'

'Misaka 10032 is connecting to the network, states Misaka 10032 as she makes her entrance.'

'What is the matter, Misaka 10032? says Misaka 10043 as she is concerned about 10032's access to the network during her experiment.'

'We need to do something as soon as we can, says Misaka 10032 as she frankly expresses her thoughts.'

'What is it? inquires Misaka 16503 as she is puzzled by that request.'

'Each Misaka should immediately approach the nearest wind turbines around the train switchyard in the 7th district. We should apply electromagnetic waves at the turbine motors to reverse their directions, instructs Misaka 10032 as she urges all Misakas to get going now.'

'Why must we do that? asks Misaka 18451 as she still doesn't get 10032's intention.'

'We need to disrupt Accelerator's wind calculation. This is imperative to thwart his plan of building an artificial plasma and levelling this place, explains Misaka 10032 as she appeals to immediate action.'

'We are not supposed to intervene in the experiment, reminds Misaka 14432 as she is concerned about 10032's reckless action.'

'MISAKA can die, says Misaka 10032 as she expresses her indifference to her own life. But Misaka needs to save a spiky-haired boy, a red twin-tailed girl, and Misaka Mikoto Onee-sama, who were trying to save MISAKA whose life is worthless, states Misaka 10032 with a powerful conviction of not wanting others to die for MISAKA.'

'Understood, replies Misaka 15034.'

'We are on the move now, says Misaka 13398 as she nods in agreement with 10032's reasoning.'

'"We will protect those people," reiterates Misaka 10043 as she found that those words have had a magical impact on her heart and mind and instantly compelled her into action.'

'I shall now disconnect from the network, states Misaka 10032.'

Those conversations took 2 seconds - be amazed at the speed of Misaka Network. Misaka 10032 was held standing by Mikoto. She looked up at the plasma, which now showed the first little signs of disturbance.

'If Misaka interferes with Accelerator's objective, she should be able to cause a big enough diversion to create an opening for you to get the red-haired girl and the spiky-haired boy and leave, says Misaka 10032 as she wants Onee-sama to leave her alone and save those two people.'

Mikoto laughed in response.

'Heh, you're so stubborn, just as stubborn as those two. That's your Onee-sama's job, you know?'

Misaka 10032 looked at her Onee-sama's face, puzzled.

'Fantastic! Amazing! This feels like a part of my body. It moves like my arm!'

Accelerator's plasma had already grown really large. As he carefully calculated, the size now should be sufficient to level this place.

'It seems like fighting a strong opponent is indeed an easy way of levelling up, huh, third-string?'

Accelerator looked to the side where Touma was. Touma was immobile in a pool of blood.

'Now, with due respect, I will remove every last trace of yo-...'

'Heh?'

The plasma was becoming irregular in shape. The movements of the compressed air were getting uncontrolled at the boundary. Some of the stationary air began moving away from the plasma, giving a false impression that it is expanding.

'The plasma is expanding? No... It is dissipating. Winds are blowing my plasma in all directions. But there should be no glitches with my calculations. Are there some gusts of wind?'

Accelerator re-adjusted his calculations. Nevertheless, no matter how much he re-adjusted to take into account the imaginary natural disturbance, the plasma continued to dissipate.

This is not a natural phenomenon, no matter how one looks at it... Wind manipulation power? No, this is too irregular to be the application of one person's power.

Accelerator caught sight of a wind turbine far away and noticed that its movements contradicted what his calculations would expect.

The wind turbines are turning the wrong way? Wait... I've heard of it before... if you apply electromagnetic waves of a specific magnitude and frequency at the turbine motors, you can cause them to turn in reverse.

It's them?! (Misaka network)

But then this is not a random dissipation of electrical power... This power is applied in such a way to deliberately confuse my calculation.

Someone must be looking at me now because he/she knows what will be the reverse of what I want to do!

'Hah!?'

Accelerator turned around to see Misaka 10032 and Mikoto standing on the ground.

She is relaying whatever she is seeing across the whole network?

As the plasma continued to dissipate, its size and brightness decreased.

'I will crush y'all!'

Accelerator tried to launch whatever he had left with the plasma at the two Misaka's. However, he failed as the plasma was too weak and had almost all dissipated into the air.

'I won't let you!'

Just as the plasma disappeared once and for all, Misaka charged in front of her sister. Standing with her both arms open, Mikoto stared at Accelerator with determined eyes.

As winds finally subsided, the confrontation between Accelerator and Mikoto was about to begin.

Kuroko didn't at first realise what happened. Pains persisted, but hallucinations had left her. The world transformed. From one full of mad motion, the world had returned to a still summer night. Gentle winds were still blowing, occasionally powerfully enough to lift bits of grits. However, they were no longer powerful enough to cause any substantial harm to human beings.

Did the wind stop...?

Kuroko opened her eyes. Already accustomed to the blinding brightness of the plasma, her eyes could not see anything in the dark, at least at the beginning. She noticed that the wind did stop. From her point of view, some brightness was still left at where the plasma used to be. A gust of wind travelled past her cheeks, gently pushing her messy, dust-covered twin-tails behind her head. As Kuroko watched the faint brightness dissipating to give in to the overwhelming darkness of the night, she finally realised what happened.

So... Accelerator's rampage was stopped?

But... how?

...

Well, it's not like that really mattered now.

At that instant, her sight fell back onto Touma. His ravaged body had always been distinctive in Kuroko's vision even while she was seeing phantasms.

She had sent Onee-sama to where the Sister was, so she just needed to take Touma and go.

Everyone could be saved. That's... great...

She just hoped she wasn't late. She just hoped Touma was still alive.

Kuroko focused to do one teleportation to cross the fence, but not any more. Using up the last bit of energy to do that make her felt like her blood vessels were on the brink to burst. Kuroko began to walk. Every time her feet landed on the stony ground, pain shot through her veins, raced up her spine and reverberated across her body. Nevertheless, Kuroko carried on as she did not give in to the pain. Dragging two pain-stricken feet, Kuroko tenaciously hobbled towards Touma.

No one would die on Kuroko's watch.

'I just don't understand ya. That fallen lowlife there, that idiotic Judgement girl, and you. Why are you fighting for a bunch of dolls? They are just failed mass-produced versions of you! The one who should feel the most annoyed about them is you!'

Misaka 10032 looked to the side and lowered her head.

'Shut up! Your voice, your appearance - don't be in front of me like that!'

Onee-sama definitely hates all MISAKAs, thinks Misaka as she finds truth in what the boy is saying.

'Heh... Do you just dislike seeing something with your face being smashed by someone? That's not something to lose your life over though! Or you can't stand the fact that someone would reach Level 6 before you? Or are you trying to atone yourself for starting the experiments? Whatever your reason is, I just don't get it.'

Drawing in a deep breath, Mikoto finally opened her mouth.

'Touma is not a lowlife. Kuroko is not an idiot. I do not care the least about reaching level 6, nor do I think death would atone myself for what I have done. The reason why I am here is simply that...'

'They are my sisters! They are all humans worth protecting! That's all there's to it.'

Misaka 10032 felt the words pierced through her. This voice was the same one which expressed utter contempt for the existence of MISAKA. The two distinctly different sentences began to alternate in Misaka 10032's mind.

'Don't appear like that in front of me!'

'They are my sisters!'

...

'Huh...?'

'Sorry... I know that, after all that I have done to you, I do not have the right to say that anymore. But just for once, may I... act and protect you like your big sister?'

'Yes...'

Taking in yet another deep breath, Mikoto proclaimed,

'Nobody is dying on my watch! Nor would you ever manage to touch Touma or Kuroko a single bit!'

'Huh... Haha... Nice speech, but... Kuroko? Do you refer to the idiotic girl just over there?'

Mikoto turned to where Accelerator's eyes were looking at, and her eyes enlarged, and pupils contracted.

'Teheh! I guess I can have some more great fun with her, can't I?'

The closer Kuroko got to Touma, the more hopeless she felt.

It was impossible to see Touma in detail from afar. Therefore, as Kuroko got closer, she found out that his situation was even direr than she thought. Not only was Touma immobile, but he was also soaked in blood and was still bleeding from the wounds.

She knew she might be too late.

Kuroko finally came close enough to Touma. Fallen on both her knees and, with tears escaping her eyelids, Kuroko shook Touma with her hands.

'Touma... Wake up... Touma... Please wake up...'

She put her arms under Touma's body and tried to lift him up. Her arms seemed to be pierced by needles. Touma was still not moving.

'Kuroko! Come back from there! Kuroko!' That was Mikoto's shout. Kuroko didn't bother to turn her head to look at her Onee-sama.

Quiet, relaxed but malicious footsteps were approaching Kuroko. Kuroko didn't bother to turn her head to see who was coming.

'Touma... Please wake up... Please don't die... Tell me you are alive... Wake up...'

Kuroko continued to try to lift Touma up, not paying attention to the footsteps behind her which abruptly stopped.

'Oi, oi. Kuroko, is it? Don't you dare ignore my existence!'

That was the coarse voice of a man. Kuroko didn't care. She saw that Touma's finger moved a bit, and she smiled.

'Great... You are not dead... Touma... I will get you off the ground now...'

Kuroko again applied force on her arms, but she could barely lift Touma by centimetres.

'Kuroko! Get back from there now!' Mikoto's voice repeatedly sounded and was getting more and more desperate, even hysterical.

'I said don't ignore me, you fool!'

Accelerator struck Kuroko's side with his left foot.

'Argh!'

Kuroko flew a few metres before she landed on the ground in a loud and dull 'boom'. One cannot ascertain whether Kuroko was already numb to pain or she was overjoyed by the fact that Touma was alive; she felt no pain.

'That's good... You are alive...'

'Kuroko! ...Ah... Ahh... You bastard. How dare you do that to Kuroko!'

'Onee-sama... don't...'

But Mikoto already didn't care. She had lost control of herself. Seeing Kuroko being hit and punched onto the floor and hearing Kuroko's pained voice was simply too much. Images of Kuroko's injuries a few weeks ago began flashing in Mikoto's mind, and voices of both Kuroko and Misaka from the past alternated and repeatedly echoed. Those voices were getting more and more distant but more and more painful.

"Onee-sama should not feel guilty for Kuroko's injuries. It's purely because of Kuroko that Kuroko was hurt."

"You are still my underclassman, you know? So I should be more able to protect you than yourself. Besides, you are my best friend, so I have the responsibility to keep you safe."

"You don't have to act strong."

"I don't need your unwanted care and attention!"

"I would protect you."

"Onee-sama didn't protect me."

"Kuroko is injured because Onee-sama is weak."

"Onee-sama is weak."

"Weak."

"Weak."

"Weak..."

The image of Kuroko was no longer that of a few weeks ago. Instead, there was one Kuroko. Naked, soaked in blood, face dead white and with a desperate expression, she held onto Mikoto with her bleeding arm, as if asking for help which she would never receive.

'Stop it already!'

'Huh?'

Accelerator turned and stared at Mikoto with a somewhat surprised expression. He had seen many faces before. Happy faces on which mouths were curled upwards, pained faces on which muscles contracted, desperate faces on which eyes widened and mouth opened agape and many, many others. Mikoto's face was one he had never seen before. That face was contorted - not that the muscles contracted, but they were at places they should never be at - and the eyes were so wide opened that he feared her eyeballs could pop out. Neither could he judge Mikoto's state of mind from her other behaviours. Bent down to press against her belly, Mikoto was gasping as she breathed rapidly with her wide-opened mouth. Her chest was moving in and out more and more powerfully, possibly due to the intensification of her breathing. Sparks appeared around Mikoto's brown hair and were getting more and more concentrated and intense. This combination makes Mikoto's overall behaviour incomprehensible, at least to Accelerator.

Not that he actually cared about that. Instead of that, he paid more attention to Mikoto's power output. Mikoto's powerful magnetism had lifted metal containers, steel railways and extracted iron sand from under the ground. They were floating around, giving a strange sense of coherence - that of an ancient tribal dance. As the dance was performed, the participants were chanting,

"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!"

'I will kill you!'

That was Mikoto's desperate, deafening scream as she dashed towards Accelerator and simultaneously launched the containers, rails and iron sand at him. Her eyes were still wide like eggs, revealing densely packed red lines on the white signifying swollen blood vessels.

'As if you really can. However, none of your attacks can reach me at all!'

Accelerator reflected all the incoming objects. Containers, rails and sand dust - anything that came into contact with Accelerator was bounced off as he simply reversed the vectors. Mikoto seemed to have lost her sanity. She dashed almost headlessly towards Accelerator, although that was the stupidest action.

'Tch, you are no fun.'

With the knock of a finger, Mikoto was knocked back and fell onto the ground. Several sharp stones pierced through Mikoto's clothes and skin, causing her extreme pain. Convulsing, Mikoto straightened her arms to try to stand up but struggled because of the pain which shot through her.

'Now, now, let me return to you.'

With a slaughter's gait, Accelerator walked back to Kuroko. Using his left foot, Accelerator repeatedly hit Kuroko's belly. At every hit, Kuroko winced, and each time weaker and more pained.

'Ah... Ahh... Get away... from Kuroko!'

It was too much.

It was simply too much.

Accelerator's hit ground Mikoto's heart; now, Mikoto's heart was nothing but powder.

A mysterious surge of power refuelled Mikoto. The power of desperation. The power to avenge. She found the energy to stand up and she dashed towards Accelerator again only to be knocked back onto the ground. She didn't struggle more than a few seconds before she stood up again, and dashed again, and was knocked down again.

'Are you insane? No matter how many times you try, you won't even hurt me the least bit!'

'Get... away... from... Kuroko... now!'

Those words were repeatedly uttered in between Mikoto's movements and breaths. The voice was mixed with pain and abhorrence.

'You are boring...'

For the sixth time, Mikoto was knocked onto the ground. Half her body was tainted with blood, and her nose was broken with blood coming out from the two nostrils. Her legs were decorated with lines of red.

Just as another round was about to begin, Touma's fingers twitched again.

The first sound that came was a sharp voice.

'Touma, wake up.'

This... voice...?

Isn't this...?

'Nice to meet you, gentleman caller. My name is Shirai Kuroko, Onee-sama's one and only life-long partner. I repeat, Onee-sama's one and only life-long partner. '

'I'm Onee-sama's roommate. You may come in and wait for Onee-sama.'

'As a member of the Judgement, I must look into this.'

'Why are you doing this for me? I have the duty to do this, but you don't. I cannot let you get hurt because of me. Why am I so weak? Why must I put people in danger?'

Kuroko's face came up in Touma's mind. Someone who wasn't exactly powerful but had a strong sense of justice and always wanted to protect others, Kuroko got hurt trying to fight Accelerator to protect the sisters.

Almost the same as him. But with his right hand, he can save her. He needs to save her.

And another voice came up in his mind.

'Kuroko, come back!'

'I will kill you!'

He recognised it belonged Misaka.

'You played around with me a few times, didn't you?'

'It's because humans are following what a machine instructs.'

'So, did you come here because you're worried about me, or you think what I've done is unforgivable?'

'Because there's no other way except for me to die. It's fine if one life can save 9969 lives, right?'

'Help...'

'Help me...'

'Help... me...'

Mikoto's despondent, desperate face when crying on the steel bridge alternated with Kuroko's pleading face when crying in his embrace in his mind. They were a source of mysterious power. With this power, the law of life and death would be defied, as the dead would rise up again.

As Touma now knew, he must save these two people.

His dream of bringing everyone back smiling would be fulfilled only if he would stand up and defeat the enemy - Accelerator.

Having realised this, someone who was dying would stand up again to protect the two girls and 9969 sisters.

9972 will continue to be 9972. Touma promised. Touma swore.

Hey there! I do hope you find this chapter OK!

I'm having my national exams pretty soon and they will end in mid-November. I will come back then to update the subsequent chapters.

I'm really sorry for making you wait for so long, and I deeply appreciate your understanding!

Look out for the next chapter: the past is the journey along which a person has come along to change.