fear even though he did nothing. Just by concentrating and using a bit of seriousness in that exchange, there are a lot of great results.

They are no longer enemies.

They are just mere moving targets.

(Well then...)

By means of radio and fear, they have been torn loose to pieces, with each of them helpless. Even if he runs amok here, there is a margin of a few minutes until reinforcements rush in. Worrying about the surroundings is in a word, unimportant.

A smile was stuck on Accelerator's mouth while he lurks in the dark.

In his sights is a big game, separated from its peers and nervously searching alone for an enemy.

(You've crammed yourself full, you plump, fat brute.)

The target's range is about 15 meters.

A shotgun's effective power increases at short ranges. That said, this distance isn't yet the best; even so Accelerator leans back on a wall, raises his staff from the floor, aims appropriately and fired.

A shoulder-breaking shock came along with an ear-splitting roar. As expected, the shots scatter about before it hits the target. But in the surroundings are hard concrete and metal plates. Several shots ricochet from them like pinballs and crash into the black-clad from different angles.

A scream reverberates.

In the darkness, liquid is being scattered, and the human silhouette whirled down just like in action movies. Accelerator, after confirming it, approaches towards the black-clad with his shotgun as a cane.

It seems it hit their arm.

Their right arm was hit by the shotgun shells, and because it fell down onto the floor as it whirled, their other arm was probably already twisted.

The sub-machine gun they held was sliding a distance away. It seems they're trying to pull out their spare handgun, but because both of their arms were crushed, they couldn't take up weapons as much as they want to.

It was an unsightly, hairless caterpillar.

Accelerator braces his one hand against a nearby wall and presses the shotgun's muzzle at the side of the black-clad's cheek.

"Y, you're joking, right...?"

Unexpectedly, the voice was high-pitched. Observing very closely, he realizes that it's a feminine line even though it's a black-clad.

"Joke? Yeah."

Whatever, Accelerator appropriately omitted,

"A new one."

He pulled the trigger.

Accelerator's body uncontrollably tumbled back at the *dobam!* dull recoil shock. Not a gun to be fired one-handed, he thought. Getting up as he shook his head, the black-clad woman in front of him was writhing.

"Oo, oohu, buuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?"

She's grabbing onto her mouth with both her broken hands, but both of them were strangely getting into the inside her face. For everything below her jaw was blown off sideways by the shotgun. Were those hands out of the way, one would find out that only her upper jaw was lining up in a row.

Accelerator noticed something warm sticking onto his own cheek.

Moving it with his tongue and holding it in his mouth, he chews it along with his saliva. It has the taste of flesh.

"Aha..."

An unintentional smile escapes from his lips.

There's no point in sparing infinite time with a battle-incapacitated woman. Accelerator has to leave his place immediately. Other [Hound Dogs] would turn up should they hear the gunshots. He doesn't prefer to be found by them and be shot at directly. The best way is to lurk to the very end in the darkness, crushing the big game one person at a time. Better that I leave, Accelerator thought; as soon as possible.

**But then,**

Using the shotgun as a cane, he staggered up to his feet.

He has become somewhat happy.

Even though he thought of it as useless, he cannot suppress *the feeling of freedom* as if it had burst open.

As he messily and sloppily chews with his mouth, he stands in front of the woman whose jaw was blown off.

"...Oh hoh hoh, so your face turned to something good for a fuckin' pacifier."

*Snap!*, the woman whose lower half face disappeared looked at him.

Now what kind of face do I have, Accelerator cannot even imagine that.

"And how dare you still live!! You've got to be kidding me, bitch!!"

In any case, he started to kick on the groveling woman's stomach.

A thick *dongongaki!!* sound occurs in succession. As he gives five, ten, fifteen, then twenty kicks, the woman's body suddenly disappeared into the dark.

Looking closely, it looks like a machine press for metalworking use.

Acting like a cliff, metallic objects fall in and is brought from here via conveyor belt, probably to be pressed and tempered; it occupies about 3 meters in depth, and ten meters spread in every direction. Considering that empty cans and steel rods are already turning into mountains, it might be actually deeper.

The woman was struggling three meters below.

She was an unsightly human, with both arms injured and the lower half of her face blown off.

Even as he looks at her, Accelerator felt no compassion.

He throws a fleeting glance towards the corner of the pressing machine inlet. Almost all of the equipment should be controlled in the control room, but there must be a device for tentative manual operation. There was indeed a probable one, a large button on the side wall.

Even the woman must have understood what Accelerator is looking at.

She's pleading for something while looking up overhead at the inlet.

"Afee, afuhee, farahahe..."

"Too bad."

Accelerator quickly apologized to interrupt her.

"You know who you're messing with, bitch."

*BAM!*

As if slamming his palm onto the wall, he pressed the giant switch.

There was absolutely no mercy in that action.

A *koum* dull sound of a motor operating resounded inside the facility.

"Well then..."

Already ignoring that spectacle, Accelerator resumes his loitering as he lets out a fervent sigh.

"My next game, where did it lose its way...."

There was only a gaping, face-tearing smile on his mouth.

Part 9

With Vento's attack, the interior of the family restaurant is being destroyed thick and fast.

There's still a little time before Kamijou is finally cornered. Bloodied, he leans back against a demolished wall. No matter how much his Imagine Breaker can defend against her direct attacks, he cannot defend himself against broken floor tiles and table splinters.

In the end, there are only few options left for Kamijou.

The instant he was cornered, he can only continue defending himself with his right hand. Vento's attack frequency is not that much, but the trajectories of each blast is complicated. Because he must read her moves and act accordingly, his moves appear slow and passive.

For sheer destructive power it's probably inferior to Misaka Mikoto's Railgun. And there's the terrain problem when he came to deal with Mikoto. When he goes against her, Kamijou absolutely doesn't want to choose a narrow place for a battleground. Without a spacious place where there is freedom of moving around and freedom of running from place to place, he's definitely not facing her.

If this is not the case, he will be cornered just like that.

However, in this demolished family restaurant are,

(...In addition, the collapsed people are...)

On the receiving end of an unidentified attack, both guests and waiters are here and there tumbled down, their consciousness stolen. Even the building is taking too much damage for certainly bearing the brunt of Vento's attacks, there's the danger of the ceiling collapsing and killing them all.

Kamijou was watching his surroundings more than necessary.

And it's all too clear even in Vento's eyes.

Vento levels her huge hammer as she chuckles.

"You don't have to worry about yourself. Look♪"

She *biyuu!!* swings her weapon carelessly.

The chain attached to Vento's mouth has drawn a trajectory deviating sideways from Kamijou's face.

The blunt air weapon slightly bent its alignment sideways from Kamijou. Vento is deliberately adjusting it towards where its barely out of reach from Kamijou's outstretched hand.

"!!!"

Kamijou leaped at full strength; just before the weapon strikes into a guest his right hand repels it.

This time Vento unleashed her blunt air weapon at the opposite direction.

Just like a practice in volleyball receiving, Kamijou's body is being racked. Vento launches one shot after the other towards the surrounding guests and yet sometimes a shot aimed at Kamijou himself would come through feints. Demanding for unreasonable movements, his breathing accelerates. The remaining stamina in his body is being taken away in a flash.

"You bitch!!"

"Hm-hmm-hmm? Now that you're mad, what are you gonna do? You should know what happened with Academy City. If I were a person with consideration for other people, I wouldn't have done this in the first place!"

"Shit!!"

He thought for sure that she didn't intend to say that she caused so much of these flashy efforts all just to kill him, Kamijou Touma.

No matter how he puts it he doesn't think that would be the case.

For just killing a mere single high school student, this is way beyond large-scale.

"You should realize your own worth, you know--"

Vento again mows down through the air with her gigantic hammer while she lightheartedly says the next words.

"**My target is you, Kamijou Touma. Everything and everyone else are all extras.** Even that Index is unimportant compared to you!"

She readily said those words.

"Make no mistake about it, you are now the enemy of the Roman Catholic Church. And we will do whatever it takes to kill our enemies. I'll say something extreme to you. We will kill you even we have to exterminate this entire nation called Japan! ...Although you might say, when I consider about that right hand, my usual pattern doesn't seem to work. Anyhow, it looks like that I'll have to kill you directly myself."

Vento fluttered up a document, that looked like it was brought out by sleight-of-hand, as she continued with her words.

It's probably some sort of decree, but it's unreadable in the darkness. In the first place, it's doubtful whether it's written in Japanese.

"As you can see, it has the Holy Father's personal signature. You've been targeted by two billion people!"

The hell is that, Kamijou was astonished at his opponent's words.

In contrast with the fact that she let out the words "Roman Catholic Church" here, it's a talk too different in scale to say that they're going to wipe out a nation from the map just because of himself.

Currently, Kamijou Touma has much experience in [himself getting dragged into the middle some kind of incident]. The incidents occurring with him in the middle, it was since that time with that Aztec magician on August 31.

At a Kamijou who's getting filled with horror, Vento again hides the document with a sleight-of-hand and,

"You think it's a joke? Then, I'll open your eyes by doing something serious."

*Hyun*, Readying her hammer again, Vento smiles.

The chain in her tongue moves, and its crucifix slightly vibrated from left to right.

"What the..."

"**Now I'll kill every person inside this store**"

Kamijou choked.

Vento continues while sweetly smiling.

"For that you will probably be suffering. I'm willing to annihilate everyone just for that boring reason. Even you would seriously understand your situation once I go that far."

"STOP IT!!"

Kamijou, ignoring his situation, instinctively starts running towards Vento. She bends back while laughing and while hanging there her neck shook greatly. Along with the sound of *jingle* metal rubbing, the chain attached to her tongue drew a helix surrounding Vento.

If she swings her hammer at this state, a destructive whirlwind with Vento in the center will rise.

"BLOW OFF, SHITTY!!"

Along with that roar, Vento's right hand moved.

A *BOOM!!* thunderous roar reverberates.

An iron-like smell has filled inside the unlit and ruined family restaurant.

Part 10

In the dark, sweltering factory, the sound of short breaths echoed.

Vera, a [Hound Dog] hiding under cover, was a woman who might be told from anyone that [they can't imagine why she would go down into such a place].

She's cheerful and sociable, and yet she doesn't fail in gauging her distance with other people. She can handle both physical and mental work together well. She is that kind of person.

Even she has some girl issues, but she has the knack of skillfully talking her way out from those who are interested in those kind of matters.

In any case at the dubious-looking group [Hound Dog], Vera who had some good sense, requested for cooperation with others. Such acts don't belong in that group where one despises the other, but at least Vera wanted to put up even a little trust with her [comrades].

Even so,

(...What a noisy radio)

She's been continuously hearing screams and appeals for help from it, but Vera's reaction was that of seeming annoyance. She doesn't even know which among them is real or a trap. Since then, she can't contact Caines who said he's rescuing comrades and took independent action. There's the danger of carelessly replying.

Already she cannot trust anyone.

What she thought to be slowly built was all crumbling away now at this place.

Instinctively Vera let out her sobbing.

At any rate she had better leave this facility and start over. Even Rod said by exit there's a trap at the exit, but on the other hand that kind of alert report is suspicious. Is that really Rod? She ought to leave, even if she has to take some risks. Even leave behind her [comrades]. All to avoid being annihilated.

(This is the worst... This is the worst day...!)

With staggering and uncertain steps, Vera started to look for the exit. She had already lost her will to fight. The excessive mental stress is all the more wearing down her concentration and thinking.

And then, she noticed something.

(A radio...)

Before she's aware of it, from the only source of noise that is the radio was sending back nothing but a fixed *zaa--* static noise. Because she thought she can cause unnecessary chaos to the place she maintained radio silence up to now, but upon coming here she suddenly felt insecure. Vera presses the switch and draws it to her lips.

"This is Vera, Vera. Request for status. Over."

There was no response to her request.

Cold sweat burst out from her. The worst thoughts flashed through her mind like should she kick away that sham for her radio or, on the contrary, surely all of they have become Accelerator's prey.

(Well that, or else.)

Vera, thinking for a way out, is struck with a different idea.

(Others like me, all of the survivors must have on one occasion took refuge outside. Because of the facility's massive walls, there's a big chance that no signal passes from outside to inside. If everyone were out, my signal should have reached to them.)

In that case, Vera would be abandoned by her [comrades], and also they would consider that she abandoned them. Comparing these to the fact that her [comrades] were annihilated in this garbage processing plant,

(That's right. There's no way the [Hound Dogs] would be deceived that easily. The darkness tactics Accelerator took has no effect unless it's totally dark. With the moonlight, we can distinguish friend and foe even without radio. In that case, it's more efficient to deal with going out from the facility.)

With that understanding, better that she leave for the safety outside.

As Vera drew up her own conclusions, she looks for the exit with a some more reassuring steps.

She still has hopes of her own.

If everyone were gathered once more, even Accelerator wouldn't be that scary. Simply because she thought it so.

Until the moment she saw her own comrade being crushed by the pressing machine.

Vera's thoughts turn around, collapsing at once into that of a panic situation.

Strictly speaking, Vera cannot directly see her [comrade being crushed]. What is plain to her eyes is only equipment that presses scrap metal into lumps. It has a section about three meters deep dug into the floor. The total length must be about 10 meters.

The massive iron pressing plate went down.

Nevertheless, **a groan can be heard from the opposite side of the plate**.

(...Nancy-!!)

Because of her reckless thoughts for her comrades, Vera can see who that is with only a weak voice. Meanwhile, a creaking sound is produced as the massive place slowly continues to go down.

"U, uaaah. uaaa, aaaa, aaaahh!!"

In a state of near panic, Vera slammed her palm onto the button at the wall. Along with a *gagun* sound the pressing machine's movement finally stopped.

The groaning still continued.

There's no way that the human flesh can endure the pressure from this iron plate. Nancy is alive, perhaps because of the metal scrap for pressing scattered inside. Nancy's body is sinking into a cushion-like mountain of metal scrap.

Even so, there's little doubt that she's nearly dead.

This may be as harsh as dying a horrible death.

By pushing another button on the wall, the iron place returns up.

And perhaps Nancy can be rescued.

But then.

On the surface of that button, something thick was sticking onto it. A blackish mucus, just like those seen in garbage bins beside vending machines. It is necessary for Vera to make contact with the mucus to push the button.

**Even if the true form of the dirt is human meat and bone.**

**Even if it is bits of human skin and meat along with crushed bone sticking to the button.**

"-----a, huh?"

Her fine line with her consciousness was cut off.

She thought she heard a soft dripping sound.

"GAAH!? GYAAA!! GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Vera lets out a shout with throat-tearing vigor, and fell backwards at full power. She could not endure this any further. She surely got the feeling that what she built for herself up to now is crumbling down. She thought that she would die from shock even if a single drop of water hits her skin.

In such a situation her foot caught on something and Vera fell on her backside along with a slimy feeling.

Looking at her feet, a soft and flabby handful of human meat is clinging onto it.

It was pulpy, but that was a human lower jaw any way she looks at it.

"UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

She tried to shake it off and run for it.

But as she tried to move her sights at random, she met her other comrade. Well, one never knows if 'met' is the right expression. In front of a person who's been boiled up after been hoisted up by fat wires and is made to bathe in high temperature steam from severed steam pipes above it, whether that word is appropriate for this is a mystery.

Both vomit and shit have spouted from her.

Because her face-covering mask serves as a block, nothing else was leaked outside. Mucus and gushing water are leaking from both her mouth and nose, but Vera is in no condition to notice it. Not that much.

"HII, UAA, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..."

A soft drawn-out voice is leaking out forever from her own mouth.

Vera looks at the silent radio.

So that was it.

The meaning of the silence being shown is simple. There is no strategy. And there is no change in plans for rallying. Perhaps not even one of her colleagues ever got outside of the facility. Each and every one, all of the [Hound Dogs], were just like the wind annihilated and dragged into a ghastly attraction of the Third Resource Recycling Processing Facility. Perhaps just like her now, they were driven into psychological instability, even their common sense was taken away, and then were handled to be toyed around just as they were about to stand still in total shock.

Vera lost her grip.

Her radio and sub-machine gun falls with a clank onto the floor. Even Vera herself fell down onto her knees.

Just who was she fighting against?

So far Accelerator has especially not used any weapons. Nor does he consider the terrain. With only just his ability he mows down every obstacle in his way to move forward. Consequently, with his ability restricted now, he can only think of bringing down opponents as much as he likes depending on the strategy.

But it was already different now.

He uses weapons. He even utilizes the building. He reads the opponent's minds, weaves the most efficient method to derange them and executes it. By not entrusting to mere anger and beating opponents to death, but by giving them the maximum psychological damage, even he starts to adopt non-killing options.

His mental growth rate is formidable. This is not for children who rely solely on their abilities. This is for those who use everything they have to kill a person. Even at present, Accelerator, with plenty of threats on his own, is perhaps speeding up further. Up to the point that it goes out of someone's control and smashes up the world.

Under extreme shock, Vera's nerves were paralyzed.

Even the capability to feel fear was taken away.

He's a monster.

Unwisely, the [Hound Dogs] gave a hand in breaking off its shell.

*clank, clank*

Soft footsteps echo right behind Vera.

She didn't turn around, and was laughing softly as she lay crestfallen.

Part 11

A dripping *gopo-* sound resounded inside the dark interior of the family restaurant.

Blood is dripping onto the floor.

Kamijou Touma stopped instinctively before the sight in front of him with an attacking stance.

No doubt about it it's fresh blood.

He confoundedly looks on at the point where red is spouting out.

At the mouth of Vento, who up to now was elated with success.

"gack ... ... "

She bends down her body, bringing both her hands onto her mouth, coughing violently in short bursts. Every time she does that, a heavy and slimy fluid seeps through the gaps in her fingers.

"Ga, ack. Aah"

With unsteady movements, she backs out with a step, then two. There was no composure with that behavior so far. It doesn't appear to be acting. And it's likely that she really is in agony.

(What the ... ...)

At her sudden hemorrhaging, Kamijou's thoughts were cut off as if cold water was poured on him.

(A side effect of her magic? This is bad for her, but this could be my chance.)

His awareness returned.

He's somewhat reluctant to throw a fist at someone suffering, but plainly speaking there's no room for niceties. If he doesn't take her down when he can take her down, she'll create more victims at her pleasure.

Kamijou holds his temper, prepares himself, and clenches his right fist.

"Gr, raaaaaaaaa!!!"

But before he could do it Vento turns about face, and swung her barbed wire-wrapped hammer towards the wrong direction.

It takes a path sweeping over the chain, and sparks jump from both hammer and chain.

There is none of the expected rash mood. It was a disorganized and violent movement, like a drunkard striking.

Along with a heavy *GOBOOM!!* shock wave, she opens a large hole in a wall.

Vento runs through there.

She went and flew out of the building while unleashing two, three diversion attacks at Kamijou who's about to pursue her.

"... ...,"

Frankly, he doesn't really know if he should pursue her or be relieved because he let her get away.

(What was that now?)

Since Vent went out of the building, neither Kamijou nor the store were crushed. It's unlikely as her character to take into consideration the other guests. Perhaps dealing with the abnormality in her body involves her totally shutting her mind from other matters.

Kamijou sorts through little by little the new problems that befell to him.

The [God's Right Seat].

Vento of the Front.

And then, the Roman Catholic Church.

Part 12

Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari were at the Judgment Branch No. 177.

It's an exaggerated name, the point is that it's only one room in a building at Uiharu's middle school.

Several desks were lined up, but those weren't made of plywood and pipes like in classrooms; it's more like those in offices. This means workstations in each desk, but bags of potato chips were plopped about in blatant disregard for those types of delicate equipment.

As Uiharu Kazari was plunging both her hands into a vinyl bag and rummaging it,

"Shirai-saan. Which one for dinner, Chinese rice bowl or fish bento?"

"Either one will do!!"

"Sure? Then it's Chinese bowl for me."

"I'm eating that Chinese bowl! Grrr, right now at this very moment Onee-sama and that rotten ape are together walking through the streets at night... UGAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Shirai Kuroko, the girl with the pigtails, is banging on the desk with her both hands.

There are only the two of them in the room. A large radio transceiver was also in the room, but that was silent. Basically Judgment's work completely stops along with the final coming-home time. This is because their main task is to suppress any school violence. By all rights, it's strange for students to remain at the station at this time.

And so an overworked Uiharu Kazari brings out her own mobile,

"Oh, the variety show I always watch is about to start!"

"Get to work, Uiharu!!"

"You have no right to tell me what to do, Shirai-san. And by the way, I'm the type who can work while watching TV-"

Mobile phones have TV functions probably included, but Uiharu greatly likes that variety program. So she deliberately switches on the large office TV.

"Hmph!!"

But then, an irritated Shirai steals the remote control and randomly changed the channel. A totally uninteresting news program is projected. With Uiharu shouting "Daa--! What are you doing, Shirai-san!!", the pair started their battle for the remote.

On-screen, the announcer and a lady performer is reading aloud from a manuscript.

"Next up, let's see...it's Academy City news."

Hm? Shirai and Uiharu stop their grappling and look at the TV.

This station is located outside of Academy City and is on a nationwide broadcast. Thus, Academy City news being broadcast outside by those [outside] stations is rare. The announcer is probably perplexed because there are news reports from there.

"There are reports of intruder riots in Academy City now. With it are widespread damage to the city. We've got a shot on-location. Ishigo-san?"

The image changed completely.

It was a coarse telephoto image. The camera was probably located outside Academy City. And it's looking vaguely at a yellow-cloaked woman walking through the rain-beaten road.

She's was walking unsteadily through the rainy streets, pushing away nearby collapsed people with her feet. She lets out her tongue, swinging from left to right the long chain that was connected there.

And, before the reporter could move, the camera swayed and toppled down. As soon as they thought a *gachan* sound echoed, the image is covered with snow-like noise; there was no response no matter how many times the name was called. Whether the reporter was there or not was not evident.

The image immediately switched back to the studio.

It was due to superb timing that a broadcast trouble was barely averted.

"Was that an intruder just now?"

The commentator sitting beside the announcer answered in a composed voice.

"Taking into account Academy City's security situation, because it is different with other schools, the possibility of a disaster-level crime aimed simply at the children might be almost nil."

"I see."

"A terrorist attack against science worship or a hijacking for high technology, those are the possibilities."

"When it comes to that, here's the one thing the entire audience is most concerned about: does it have an effect on the security of the students?"

"Naturally."

The commentator already pompously shook his head sideways.

"It's because the children are being dragged into adult situations. Or rather, it's more nasty than mere random attackers. Good grief, who's that woman in the image. We sometimes tend to disregard the lives of children, but letting those good-for-nothing non-conformists loose is----"

It led to a *goton* sound.

The commentator suddenly falls prostrate onto the table, hitting onto the image.

"?"

Shirai frowned.

She thought it's another performance, but the prostrate commentator jolts its body around and falls under the table. *Kyaa!*, the announcer's shriek can be heard. The camera loosely jolts, and lads lightly equipped with what looks like AV rushed into the studio.

A deep voice gave out instructions off-camera, then the image was immediately changed completely to a CM. It's plain that trouble has occurred.

Averting their eyes from the image of a face-popular young female star being passionate about the magnificence of the face-washing foam, Uiharu faced towards Shirai.

"Wasn't that image been reported and sent to us? We've been doing nothing but paperwork the whole time today so we totally didn't notice it. But if it's true that only one person overwhelmed the Anti-skills, that intruder's danger level is really something. Why such an ominous person would come invade us..."

"Judgment being summoned an off-campus...and night time work is rare, isn't it? If things go really bad, an assistance request from the Anti-skills would come in. Until then we handle the documents as much as possible--"

"...."

Kazari didn't respond to Shirai's words.

Shirai thought she saw Kazari's body swing aimlessly backwards, and rolled down without any resistance onto the floor. She can then hear a nice loud *batam!* sound, after which Uiharu no longer gave any signs of movement.

Shirai then rushed over to Uiharu, overcame with shock.

"Uiharu!!"

She tries to call a downed Uiharu's name close to her ears and even slaps her cheeks, but there was totally no response.

The TV's voice reaches into Shirai, who's unable to understand what happened.

The news program is not resumed even with the CM over. Just a [please wait for a moment] is scrolling across the telop.

Part 13

Almost all of the [Hound Dogs] have been disposed of.

Since he doesn't have an accurate head count, he has to be on guard for ambushes, but Accelerator's gut instinct told him that the battle is almost over.

It would be admirable if he assumes the [Hound Dog] survivors are the ones [producing] this mood, but there was absolutely no time for that. Accelerator's attack is a program where, in the interval from the timing the gimmick flies out until the silence, everything is made to cave into a calculated cerebrophysiological, exhaustive, and sure-fire panic situation.

It is not fear that can be done somehow by will-power, it's pounding emotions from a brain synapse-like aspect. Nobody is likely to fight fair and square. As long as there are people in the world ---- as long as they greatly lack common sense, there's no way to escape from this attack. Screaming and thrashing around their limbs, that's as much as they can do.

Accelerator opens the lid of the bottle of detergent he found inside the facility. He pours the transparent liquid onto his head, and as he threw away the emptied container somewhere,

(At this point Kihara will definitely move. It'll be a lucky strike for me, but in the meantime no monkeying around, shitty bastard. It'll take some time before the reports will reach him. In the meantime I'll do what I have to do.)

Accelerator's objective is the rescue of Last Order.

But he can't get a lock on the current location of the girl currently in flight (whether that's true or not he's not certain). It might change if they talk by mobile phone, but he's not certain he can rely on it. In that case, to save Last Order he'd better pour his efforts onto interfering with Kihara and his ilk.

He has to divert all their attention onto himself.

He has to make them believe [before we kidnap Last Order, at any rate we have to do something about that Accelerator in front of us] or he'll never win.

The more that expectation is fulfilled, the more Accelerator is driven into a dilemma, but...

(Either way I'm ready for it.)

He heads for the exit, his shotgun serving as a cane.

Torturing [Hound Dogs] and pulling up information is also one way, but Accelerator has avoided those. With him, relying on his cane, unable to use his ability in this facility, he can't carry adults outside. Even his victories so far are all the more the result of his plans. Even he cannot ignore an injured opponent. The current him will die from a single bullet. If he makes a bad move and has the tables turned on him, the person who would save Last Order would be totally gone.

Accelerator considers on his next move and objective.

(I'll check again the [Hound Dog] minivan. I don't think that their safe house would be found that easily, but even with crushing detached forces, at least I have to get the information on their rough location...), there he ended his train of thought.

There are traces of blood on the floor.

On seeing the red stains here and there, Accelerator slightly frowned. The enemy has all moved in as he calculated, stirring up their fears, then smashing them up one by one; he doesn't recall cornering them using this route.

There are still survivors.

"...."

As far as the trail of blood goes, the enemy's pace was dazed; they're concentration going here and there. Because of the extreme fear, they're scared towards anything. His psychological operation is probably effective.

(Or perhaps, they're only posing and are actually enticing me.)

As he held on to his cane, Accelerator carefully follows the blood trail.

Ahead is a small emergency exit. A green pilot lamp is installed above the iron door. A box protected by reinforced glass is installed beside the door. The glass itself is broken, the lever within was shifted.

Someone unlocked it and went outside.

Accelerator leans himself on the wall beside the door, touching the knob by stretching out ahead his hand. The cane's presence was irritating. Should he use both his hands, one hand is sure to touch the switch for the choker-type electrode. There's the danger of an explosion, but he can do nothing but use his ability when the situation demands for it.

Slowly he turns the knob.

And silently pushes the door.

"------"

There was nothing out of the ordinary.

At least, there was no bomb set for him. Accelerator confirms this, then threw open the door at once.

Before he knows it, the raindrops from the heavy downpour are beating on his entire body.

For Accelerator, hidden inside the humid facility, that was a comfortable stimulus.

But then,

"There you are..."

There was no smile on his face.

Accelerator is standing on the second floor. Descending down the emergency stairs from there, it continues to an area roughly about 20 meters of asphalt, ahead of which is an area-delimiting wire mesh fence.

There he found a figure of a person clambering over that fence.

The back of a black-clad, it's an unmistakable [Hound Dog].

And, very near the fence is a parked car. It's easy to imagine the destination of the black-clad.

He thought it's a fresh [Hound Dog] reinforcement, but that isn't so.

That car is being used for a regular Anti-skill patrol.

The hell is this, Accelerator thought.

There must be a mistake for those guys to pop out and come here.

This is a battle between demons, mere people shouldn't be coming out, right?

"....................................................................................................................."

A very very light breath escaped from Accelerator's lips.

He's even at a loss of words.

The black-clad's scream reaches the silent him.

In this downpour, there is a 20-meter distance between them; even so, it's a loud voice clear enough to be heard.

"Hey!! Anyone inside!? H, Help, HELP ME!! You're the guys guarding people on streets, the Anti-skills!! So save me!! That bastard, that bastard all did it! Hahaha, serves you right! I'm saved. Your demonic hand ain't reaching me now!!"

A jarring noise can be heard.

I HAVE BEEN IN THE UNDERWORLD FOR SO LONG, BUT EVEN SO YOU CAN HURL INSULTS AS THOSE HARSH UNHEARD-OF WORDS ONE AFTER THE OTHER.

"Listen up, bastard, no matter how much you struggle it's already over! The Anti-skill have arrived here. Go ahead and try if you can kill me!! But then you'll drag in the Anti-skill and you'll really be wanted!! With this your days with that goddamned kid whom you wanted to protect so badly is already over! You'll be dragged back into the cold research labs, where you'll be a fucking guinea pig for the rest of your life!! GYAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

An intense power is gathering up in the hand where the shotgun being held.

**His mind explodes.**

The battery electrode, the fact that he's trying to conserve it because it only has seven minutes remaining, and the fact that if he used them all up here he cannot fight against Kihara Amata, all those were completely blown away.

Accelerator has his hand on the back of his neck.

The electrode switch is there.

He was in control.

He'll make a victim only for that goddamned bastard with this method.

Only that alone was within his mind.

Part 14

Anti-skills Saigou Ryouta and Sugiyama Edao were lucky.

While a large majority of the town's public order preservation systems had stopped functioning, because they had inadvertently slept in late, they hadn't caught the coma attack unlike the others. Even when no one responded to their radio inside the car, they figured it's only some machine trouble. Better or worse, they are out of the loop.

And so now, they were probably lucky.

At least, because they're helping out a fence-climbing bloodied man, Saigou and Sugiyama alighted down from the driver's and passenger's seats respectively and went that way.

In that instant, the first thing they heard is a roar.

A person screaming, just like a monster.

Before both Saigou and Sugiyama search for the source of that bellow, a second one came.

It was a massive iron door.

The iron door, rotating vertically and flying at a terrible speed, barely grazes over Saigou and Sugiyama, and smacked right into their parked Anti-skill patrol car very much like a gigantic buzz saw.

*DOGAA!!*

Scattering sparks, the automobile bends back and forth into a L-shape.

It's like suddenly throwing a shell from the side onto an ordinary car. The car's rear half stayed straight, on the other hand the front half was squashed into a wreck and is being bent directly horizontally. The car did not skid with the remaining power, and on the part where it's hit with the shell, the torn metal spread out like a flower. The iron door, having destroyed the car, remained unstoppable and smashed up the asphalt into small pieces before it finally stopped. The gasoline line, torn up at once, gets into contact with the electrical cable which was too disconnected. Tiny sparks fly out.

That alone was enough.

The car, smashed up from the side, explodes with a single blow, and flames and smoke were scattered onto the surroundings.

"W, what the!?"

Saigou, with his field of vision reduced to zero due to the smoke, can only shout.

Because the iron door was flying at an excessive speed, Saigou didn't find out what made the car explode. Also, the zero-visibility situation is unnecessarily fomenting his impatience.

Even he can't see the face of his partner who should be right beside him.

With that situation,

"Gaaa? S, STOP IT!!"

An unfamiliar man's voice echoed in Saigou's ears.

It's that of the black-clad whom we're trying to help! Before Saigou realizes it,

"Wait, wait, Accelerator! No, no, NO!! ANTI-SKILL! W, WHERE ARE YOU!! HELP, HE...III, GACK, GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?"

*SQUICK!!* A sound where a sticky wiener is being munched and torn up can be heard. Saigou, having sensed imminent danger, instinctively drew out his pistol, but he cannot move from there. He can't get a clear view with the severe smoke. Firing recklessly would only risk his partner Sugiyama or their rescue target being hit. He cannot know what is occurring on the other side of the smoke in the first place, and he cannot determine whether the [instigator] is a person or a wild animal. He cannot imagine how the situation will go if he just aims at somewhere and fires randomly.

"S, Stop! Freeze! Back off from that person!!"

He cannot see anything, but even so Saigou aims his gun by guesswork and shouts.

From a short distance, he felt a laughter coming back.

Clearly it's not the hearty kind, he feels it's a smile that is unintentionally shown even though the mouth was shut.

Afterwards, a thick sound occurred consecutively.

In about ten seconds, the screams were interrupted.

Eventually, Saigou was unable to move about.

In this world, there are things which should not be seen.

He realized by instinct that by some good fortune those were obstructed by the smoke.

The heavy rain is extinguishing the flames of the exploded cars. Along with it, the vision-obstructing smoke is finally abated.

Nearby, his partner Sugiyama had landed on his backside.

His mouth moved, flapping open and closed, but no voice totally came out.

However, with his face pale, he pointed at the ground with his unsteady index finger.

Saigou focused his sights there.

There, the man they're trying to rescue was gone. No matter where he looks he was gone.

At the spot where Sugiyama is pointing at,

At that spot, there is only a spatter of blood and two halluces torn off from a person's feet.

Between the lines 7

Academy City Outer Zone, even if said in a single word there are various facets in the place.

The town boasts an area 1/3 of the Tokyo Metropolitan. Because it faces Eastern Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Yamanishi areas, both scenery and features change completely.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu is running at a place halfway between the urban and wooded areas. There, huge abandoned factories line up, buried among the deep conifer forests. Vigorously reproductive weeds and ivy-type plants entwine the concrete walls, incorporating them into nature without mercy.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu suddenly *screeeek!!* starts to stop inside one such building.

It's originally a transport company's bus maintenance bay.

The concrete space is slightly smaller than even that of a school gym. With the high-valued machinery removed, what remains are only useless and rusted metal clumps. Because of this, the place gave out a deserted impression, but parts of the 2nd and 3rd floor still have remaining steel scaffolding that look like pathways. On the floor of the upper pathways are wire meshes, here and there are rust and opened holes.

The roof is almost collapsing, and the heavy rain is mercilessly pouring down. One entire side of the wall is made into a metal shutter, but that, too, was even getting rusty and degraded.

(...This is it.)

In front of him is a long wooden stake protruding from the floor.

And it's huge. Fifteen centimeters in diameter and more than three meters long. Its tip, roughly sharpened like a pencil, is facing directly upwards. It is catching numerous raindrops, and the water is flowing on the surface of the stake akin to flowing blood.

It is a magical item.

And the main component is crested ibis (Nipponia nippon).

"A surreal spectacle, eh."

Just as Tsuchimikado twisted his lips and smiled, completely identical three-meter stakes *ZUDOO!!* vigorously thrust out from the flanks of the original stake in all directions. Those are no wooden stakes, but are the stake's wood jutting out. As Tsuchimikado back-steps and avoids their pointed ends, more stakes thrust out one after the other from the surrounding floors, parts of the second floor pathway, and even from the mountain of rusted machine parts. All are thrusting out, aiming for Tsuchimikado's body.

As if they felt they had to catch up with him, who's back-stepping like a moving target in orbit, some of the stakes explode from within. Along with a *BOOM!* roar, hundreds of shrapnel goes toward Tsuchimikado.

Whether he's crouching or hiding himself behind machinery, Tsuchimikado lets all the spikes pass by.

In just seconds, the surroundings were turned into execution grounds littered with thousands of stakes.

The gigantic pencils are growing closely packed on the entire area.

(I see. They intend to attack Academy City this way. They're going to skewer the immovable people there one at a time.)

They're fucking making fun of us. As he spat that out, Tsuchimikado moves his head as he shifts minutely here and there.

Perhaps the [stakes] were growing up in places besides the maintenance bay.

(Here, deliberately just to entice me here and get caught in its trap— can't be. It's way too big for this. It's appropriate to consider that it is plunged right in the middle of the likely spot.)

The crested ibis is originally a wood that symbolizes [Blessing]. By using its special characteristic, it's possible to provide the property to slip through defenses like [Suppression] and [Repulsion]. Had Tsuchimikado carelessly used some defensive magic, those would be recognized by the [Blessing] and the easily armor-piercing stakes might go right through his body.

For them to really prepare thousands of those stakes is amazing but,

"Heh. Don't be deceptive with numbers."

As Tsuchimikado said it, the appearances of the explosive stakes suddenly stopped.

*SHIFT*

A pale figure of a person appeared from the darkness where nothing should have been.

The mood was like looking at the tunnel exit. Within the darkness, only that male practitioner stands out like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. It could be because the man himself is shining, for beneath his feet 12 silhouettes were arranged in a circle and in equal intervals. It seems like an analog clock.

Whether the shadows themselves could be a key in invoking the magic, each of them is continually expanding and contracting in accordance to some kind of instructions.

"———————"

Tsuchimikado took a step forward, but the distance remains unchanged.

The opponent has no indication that it moved, but the distances hold before he's aware.

It's quite like it told him that there's no way he can close the distance.

(This is bad...)

To make matters worse, this is not the only sign.

There are more inside and outside of this building. The total count may reach in the dozens, and if that's the case it's possible that those are its colleagues with the same development at other points outside Academy City's Outer Zone.

Tsuchimikado softly tells his silent opponent.

"Three is the skies, four is the earth, and you represent the world with twelve. It's not important to prepare all the stakes. By putting significance to special [numbers], you'll be in a position to be able to obtain [enormous] credit."

In short, he finds out that seven stakes serve as the nucleus, and destroying even one of them will nullify his enemy's magic.

From within this few stakes.

From the thousands right now, and from the mountain of stakes that will again add to the numbers after this.

Tscuhimikado smiled broadly and said,

"A good magic...but this is not Christianity. This is from the theories of the pre-Christian Greek Pythagoreans. Since when did you bastards affirm the world before the [Son of God] was born?"

The opponent was probably enraged at his words.

The unknown figure roars.

A *BOOM!!* thunderous roar exploded. The wooded stakes explode, and the entire service bay shook. The second and third floor pathways, the rust falling from the almost-collapsed roof, they add to the [Power], with new stakes popping out from the surface of each rusted splinter, trying to impale Tsuchimikado from all angles.

The wooden stakes that popped out from various directions block off all available space, stake and stake are impaling each other, breaking *crack!!* apart as if in mutual destruction.

But, Tsuchimikado was already gone from there.

He's standing at the maintenance bay's upper part, at the third floor pathway where steel is linked together.

He catches an inhuman gaze from far below.

The countless stakes burying the concrete floor explode from the inside one after the other, turning those splinters into anti-aircraft fire. Tsuchimikado moves about, jumping here and there over the rusted open holes in the pathway. Right behind where he passed through, the pathway is broken up, bent in, and getting destroyed in rapid succession.

Thick blood is slowly flowing from the tip of Tsuchimikado's lips.

It's not because he sustained damage from the magic attack, it's because of his jumping through the third floor pathway with the use of magic.

He's an ESPer, and also a magician.

And when an ESPer uses magic, they're in a difficult situation where a strong reaction occurs and their body is injured.

(Shit. I can't win in a drawn-out battlle.)

He considers this as he wipes the blood from his mouth.

That figure doesn't have a sense of distance. It's like running after the afterimage that reflects in pupils. The more he advances the more the figure falls back, and the more he moves back the more the image approaches. An existence with that kind of slippery traits. Therefore, directly striking it is impossible...even without saying it, it took him quite a while.

If he's bound to that, it's better that he stop the functions of the mountain of stakes ahead.

After he takes away the opponent's weapons, he will deliberately deal with him.

"Too bad, eh."

As the rusted pathways are *BOOM!!CRASH!!* breaking up, Tsuchimikado jumps over an opened passageway hole, and pushes on towards one point.

"When you look at a delicate work of art, you'll feel regret in destroying it!!"

Ahead and buried in countless stakes, is a lone wooden stake.

A one among the seven, and it is the weak point that is common to all the stakes