The wild roar of the explosion rolled through the railway depot area, drowning out all other sounds. A powerful shockwave, like a tolling bell, crashed down on the nearest territory. For random witnesses, this evening seemed damn strange.

— Accelerator! — the guy with the ridiculous hairstyle shouted at the top of his lungs, miraculously surviving the dust explosion. His cry was directed at the enemy figure slowly emerging from the incandescent chaos he had created with his own hands.

— Yes, I'm here, damn it! — the white-haired youth responded sarcastically, approaching the annoying Level 0 with a calm but slightly uncertain step. — Damn it… It seems I wouldn't survive a theoretical nuclear explosion. I almost suffocated from lack of oxygen, you know.

The albino didn't look his best. Just a few minutes ago, in a playful mood, he had decided to create a volumetric explosion by lifting a cloud of flour into the air. To his surprise, this unusual Level 0 survived the terrifying blast wave, but Accelerator himself hadn't accounted for the consequences. He had to use vector control to protect his body from carbon monoxide poisoning. However, the explosion burned all the oxygen around, putting him in a very unenviable position. He nearly lost consciousness and miraculously avoided death. Accelerator felt terrible but tried not to show it. This malaise only emphasized why he so desperately needed the sixth level: with absolute power, he would never find himself in such a situation.

Even before the explosion, Accelerator had turned the railway depot into a chaotic sandbox, like a playful child with a construction set. Using his ability, he scattered cargo containers in a bizarre yet aesthetically pleasing disorder. The explosion set fire to the contents of some of them, and now the fire, continuing to blaze, illuminated the night with an ominous light. The air hung heavy with the acrid smell of burning rubber and scorching metal, while the crackling of bursting beams mingled with the distant wail of sirens.

Stopping halfway to the shaggy Level 0, Accelerator began to scrutinize him. Without his vector shield, the heat from the flames would have scorched his back, but the albino, of course, didn't care. His attention was suddenly drawn to this guy—an unexpected and unpredictable factor that had burst into the experiment. Something about this situation was alarming. It seemed this idiot knew one of the clones. He had intervened at the height of the chaos, shouting nonsense and even promising to beat Accelerator's face in! Damn doll—how could she let an outsider poke his nose where he wasn't wanted? She should've just ignored that kitten, and then their paths definitely wouldn't have crossed… Wait, what?!

Accelerator froze, even stopping his gaze on the tense Level 0. What was that? What kitten? What soda cans? World War III, magicians, a failed coup in England, gods, strange events in Academy City, scenes with the sisters… Sinking into his own thoughts, the albino couldn't comprehend the absurdity swirling in his head. These sudden, alien pieces of knowledge… It was as if someone had planted fragments of another person's life into his mind—snippets he couldn't piece together into a coherent whole. Accelerator frowned, trying to shake off the chaos in his head, but the Level 0's sharp voice snapped him back to reality.

— Tell me, what do you even want?! — the Level 0's voice yanked him from his reverie. Surprisingly, an inner voice of the fifth level suggested to Accelerator that he should listen to this guy in the tattered school uniform. The albino decided to stay silent for now and hear him out. — Why all these deaths? What's the point? You're the strongest! What do you gain from this horror? They feel pain too, they're scared too! They have dreams they want to achieve, and you just go and kill them!

— As if I care about your words. And I definitely don't like you — Accelerator replied, having listened to the empty tirade of the annoying Level 0. With a light movement of his legs, he transformed the force vectors and instantly launched himself upward, landing on one of the crumpled containers almost directly above his opponent's head. Inside, a thought was taking shape: keep his distance and not get closer until the situation became clearer. — I don't know why, but you irritate me like no one else. I just want to smash your head into a bloody mess. And it's not even about the experiment.

— W-what do you mean? — the Level 0 nervously jerked his head up, unable to climb the elevation quickly. At a distance, he clearly had no chance of defeating the esper. Yet Accelerator suddenly decided to pause his attempts to finish him off and continued the conversation. — Are you saying we've met before?

— No. Fortunately, I hadn't met you before your amnesia — Accelerator chuckled quietly, noticing how his interlocutor's eyes widened in shock. Knowledge and memories washed over him in waves, and he gradually began sorting them out in his mind.

— How do you know that? — Kamijou Touma's astonishment knew no bounds. He froze, his hand twitching involuntarily toward his head as if checking whether his memories were still there. — Who told you?

— What does it matter? I'm not even sure myself yet — Accelerator shrugged. — I can only point out that you're fretting over some laughable reason. But that's not important. Try not to die here, freak — a crooked smirk spread across his face.

An instant calculation. A light tap of his boot—and a force amplified thousands of times tore a massive chunk from the container. The metal slammed into the Level 0 with its blunt side at breakneck speed, sending him flying nearly to the other end of the depot. Without hesitation, Accelerator leaped after him with equal swiftness.

They landed where the chaos caused by the esper hadn't yet spread. The depot's gravel cushioned the Level 0's fall as he crashed like a projectile. Stones scattered from beneath his body, carving furrows in the dusty ground, while the searing wind from the burning containers scorched his face. Groaning, he shoved aside the deformed metal plate and stood, clenching his fists. Pain ripped through his body, but he remembered her face—the one waiting for him somewhere beyond this hell. For her sake, he wouldn't give up.

— I… — Kamijou's face twisted in a grimace of pain. Though his body seemed like it should be broken, he kept moving, staring resolutely at the strongest. — I will stop you and put an end to this!

Clearly, this stubborn fool had no intention of giving up and was ready to go to the end, no matter the cost. Accelerator clicked his tongue in irritation. He'd have to play along a little. After analyzing some of the new data, the esper reached a conclusion worth testing. And for that, he needed to keep this farce going.

— You see, Kamijou Touma — the named one tensed, hearing his name from Accelerator's lips. The esper's voice grated like metal, his smirk dripping with venom. — Up until this moment, you had a chance to beg for mercy, and I would've let you go. But now, after your words…

He cracked his neck.

— You're nothing but a fish on my cutting board. And first, I'll scale you!

With those sinister words, Kamijou lunged forward, closing the distance for a right-handed strike. But he didn't even graze Accelerator. Stomping his foot, the esper unleashed a barrage of gravel at tremendous speed. The Level 0 was sent tumbling several meters away. Knowledge told Accelerator that while his opponent was incredibly resilient, he had a limit. With such extensive injuries and blood loss, he'd last maybe ten minutes in this mockery of a fight. Judging by how the gravel had flayed the skin from Kamijou's body, exposing bleeding flesh, that limit was well within reach. The key was to stay cool. Accelerator smirked and whistled at the rising Level 0.

— You move like a pregnant cow! — he shouted mockingly.

Kamijou took the bait and charged at the albino like a furious bull. Grinning, Accelerator let the punch come within an inch of his nose, only to transform the vectors at the last second and leap aside.

— What, scared? Should the strongest esper be dodging? — Kamijou taunted, aiming for the most biting tone. — Pathetic sight. Come and try to kill me with your own hands!

— Hm… — Accelerator sarcastically ruffled his hair. — I'll admit, you're smarter than I thought. Your idea to drag me into close combat isn't without merit… Because otherwise, you've got no shot, right? — he snorted. — Fine, let's play your game.

In the next instant, Accelerator was behind Kamijou, brushing his back. Before he could react, an elbow strike sent him crashing to the ground again. Several ribs cracked. The esper pinned the struggling Level 0's head to the gravel, but he nearly grabbed Accelerator's leg with that dangerous right hand. A kick to the face launched Kamijou into yet another flight. With effort, he rose again.

A fresh attack attempt—unsuccessful, bones snapping in multiple places.

Another—Accelerator, teasing, narrowly dodged the right hand. A headbutt ended badly for the Level 0.

A grab attempt—a sharp blow below the belt left Kamijou doubled over in agony.

Again—a broken nose.

Again—a chest in ruins.

Yet another miss with the right hand. Accelerator seized his ear and ripped off a chunk of flesh.

Again.

Again…

Battered, Kamijou could barely stand, gazing at the esper with despair. Accelerator, meanwhile, stood unscathed, his breathing steady, not a hint of fatigue. New knowledge guided him through this dance. He offset strength and stamina with his ability. The smirk never left his face.

— Time to wrap this up — he tossed out sarcastically. — Go ahead, hit me. I won't dodge.

— What…? — the Level 0 rasped, coughing. — Are you mocking me?

— A little, but I'm serious — Accelerator yawned. He was already craving sleep. — I'm bored. Want to end it? Come keep your promise. I'm waiting! — he spread his arms in mockery.

No words were needed. Kamijou surged forward and, despite his state, landed a punch on the esper's face with stunning resolve. The blow connected… but instantly, the Level 0's arm twisted at an unnatural angle. Screaming in pain, he was caught in a hold. Accelerator slammed his face into his knee, then grabbed his leg and manipulated the heat flows. The skin charred outside while the limb froze within.

Despair engulfed Kamijou. His Imagine Breaker, his trump card, had failed. What had saved him against mages and espers proved useless. How could he defeat the strongest now?

The answer lay with Accelerator. Aware of the right hand's ability to negate vector control, he'd adapted. He allowed Kamijou only fleeting contact, denying him the chance to exploit that weakness. In those brief moments, the albino studied Imagine Breaker's effects. Gathering data on its unknown laws, he factored them into his calculations with tolerable margins of error and turned the ability against its wielder. It was horrifyingly simple.

Now Kamijou was defenseless.

Amid the Level 0's anguished screams, Accelerator kept pummeling him. To his own surprise, he took sadistic pleasure in it. Why did this fool provoke such revulsion? The reasons were many, yet they didn't yet form a clear picture. Kamijou's death felt like too easy an escape. This spectacle needed to drag on! A maniacal laugh echoed in the albino's soul. This naive idiot had probably bragged to her, vowing to save the sisters and halt the experiment. And now? Beat Accelerator? What shame would he feel when it all crumbled? He should've just forgotten the clones. Speaking of which…

Accelerator squinted, scanning the smoldering ruins of the depot. The din of battle faded, leaving only the fire's crackle and the labored breaths of the fallen Level 0. He was about to deal with the clone when…

— Accelerator, enough! — a firm voice cut through from behind. — His death won't get you anything.

The albino pulled away from the barely conscious Level 0 and turned to the newcomer with an icy smirk—Misaka Mikoto. The brunette in her Tokiwadai uniform stood frozen ten meters off, staring him down.

— How much longer? — the esper drawled, exhausted. — Haven't you figured out the experiment can't be stopped? What's it get you? Do you really care that much about those dolls?

— Shut up! — Mikoto snapped, teeth gritted. — I don't need your excuses. Let's end this now.

She yanked a coin from her pocket—an arcade token, as Accelerator's memories confirmed. Ignoring the Level 0's feeble attempts to stop her, she fired. An orange railgun bolt streaked toward its target at supersonic speed. But instead of deflecting, it veered skyward. A smirk curled Accelerator's lips as Mikoto stood stunned.

— Thought I'd let you ruin my fun? — he approached her calmly. — Deja vu… Not a bad plan: die by my hand and derail the experiment for the sixth level. With the Tree Diagram gone, it's feasible. By your logic, the project would stall.

He paused, watching her bite her lips, eyes downcast.

— How do you know that? — his words left Mikoto reeling. What now?

— What's it matter? — Accelerator leaned close to her ear. — You know I won't let you die now. Oh, poor martyr… — she winced at his fake pity. — I promise your death's last on my list. Call me your hero.

That last line dripped with venomous irony.

— Stop spouting garbage! — Mikoto whipped around, meeting his gaze fearlessly. Her fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms, leaving red marks—a telltale sign of rage from her schoolyard brawl days. — Think your knowledge will stop me? I'll make you!

The air blazed with electric arcs. She hurled lightning and metal shards, aware of his invulnerability but hoping to provoke a fight. She'd accepted her death might save the sisters.

But Accelerator intercepted her bioelectricity in an instant. Mikoto cried out in pain and crumpled onto the gravel. Now she could only watch as the albino walked off, stones crunching underfoot. Too much absurdity had piled up lately, but it didn't matter anymore. He wanted to finish the clone and rest. Speaking of the clone…

He stopped over an exact replica of Mikoto sprawled on the ground. Earlier, the Level 0 had disrupted her killing with some drivel. To taunt the wannabe hero, Accelerator had tossed the wounded girl into the air. Kamijou caught her, sparking his pitiful resistance. But that was irrelevant now. How to kill the clone? Burn her organs? Freeze her? His hand reached for her throat, but…

It froze. His fingers trembled as he saw her face—an expression he'd never noticed in clones before.

She was crying. Gulping air, the clone tried to crawl away.

— N-no… P-please… Misaka doesn't want to die… — hysteria shattered her usual speech pattern. — Misaka… refuses! Enough! Stop!

Sobbing, she mumbled incoherently. Accelerator gritted his teeth. That sound—pathetic, human—grated worse than any blast. He despised weakness, yet her tears struck something deep within, a feeling long buried. Stone-faced, he pulled his hand back and turned, trudging slowly toward the exit. Killing her now felt pointless—too many questions demanded answers.

He passed the smoldering containers, footsteps echoing in the depot's void, until city lights glimmered in the distance. He didn't notice when he reached Academy City's night streets. His thoughts tangled. Where did this bizarre knowledge and memories come from? What twisted future plot was this? Light novels? Protagonists? Magicians? Demons? Angels?

Accelerator sighed. Deactivating his vector shield, he let the breeze cool his head. The streets' silence pressed on his ears after the depot's roar, rare streetlights casting long, quivering shadows like his own thoughts. Odd, since the night was still… A trifle. He needed to get back to his room and process this in familiar surroundings.