One-way traffic

As the number one and strongest esper in Academy City, I should be qualified to meet him directly.

"Cancel the reflection."

Without turning her head, Kihara Tamaki took the flashlight out of her pocket.

"If you don't cancel your reflection ability, I won't be able to teleport you in."

"So, you're planning to come in too?"

Accelerator looked over with some surprise.

"I said, don't you have some strange psychological burden? How come you can still teleport yourself?"

"...Of course I know that."

Kihara Aki's expression looked very bad.

"But what other options are there?"

The other party is actually the ruling chairman of Academy City, an invincible person who can wipe out everything about you at will if you are slightly dissatisfied.

This is no longer a situation that can be explained by resistance or dissatisfaction. In the entire Academy City, no one can disobey the other party. The other party is an existence that can decide the life and death of everyone at will with a single command, truly standing above 2.3 million people.

If Kihara Tsuyoshi were to express her refusal to act, it would likely be in less than a moment.

They would end up disappearing from society altogether.

Accelerator didn't say anything more; he simply deactivated the reflexes covering his entire body.

Then, with a simple flick of her flashlight, Kihara Tsurugi and the two figures vanished from their spot.

No one knew that any of this was happening.

————————————————————————————————————

The teleportation was very fast, and it ended in an instant.

"Ugh—Puwaaa!!"

The sound of Kihara Ayaki gagging came from behind.

Although she is the largest space-type ability user in the entire academy city, she has her own psychological trauma. If she were to teleport herself, she would suffer a strange symptom of physical and mental damage.

Accelerator didn't notice Kihara Awaki behind him, and Kihara Awaki managed to stand up after gagging a few times.

"...It's right in front of there."

A few swaying girls came to his side and said with a frown.

"Just ahead lies the location of the ruling council chairman."

"You're not planning to go with us?"

"Just kidding, I don't have the ability to interfere in the conversations of you monsters."

Accelerator stopped asking questions and walked in with his hands in his pockets.

It looked like a narrow corridor, and after passing through it, a dazzling light came into view.

—It was an empty room.

Inside the room, everything was covered with intricate wiring, including electronic circuits and pipes that transported liquids.

However, although the room was spacious, there was only one simple object in the very center.

A culture tank.

The liquid inside was entirely orange-yellow, with tiny bubbles occasionally rising to the surface.

There is a human in the liquid.

A person dressed in surgical scrubs, with white hair like Accelerator, floated upside down in the liquid.

Accelerator couldn't help but be taken aback.

This posture would be almost unacceptable to the average person; let alone survive, they probably couldn't bear to stay inside for even a few seconds.

However, the figure within remains unmoved by this.

Although it's quite astonishing no matter how you look at it, even so—

He is still a completely "human" person.

"You seem a little too surprised."

The other person's voice brought him back to his senses.

Accelerator looked straight ahead—at the leader of the highest level in Academy City.

"...You're the one who told me to come here, right?"

"You can't say that."

The human in the liquid spoke casually, in a tone devoid of discernible emotion.

"I merely told you that you could come here, but ultimately, the person who chooses to come here is still yourself."

"..."

Accelerator ignored the other's strange statement and stared at him with wide eyes.

In fact, he understood one thing.

The culprit behind everything is this person in front of you.

He created Academy City, and he also caused so much darkness to erupt within it.

Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that it is highly likely that the content related to clones, Level 6 espers, and Last Order is controlled by the other party.

Despite being the head of the city's largest governing body, the other party showed absolutely no control over the darkness within the city.

Accelerator felt his hands tighten without him even realizing it.

It's highly likely he'll make a move; the moment he saw this person, he had the thought of 'killing him.' If circumstances allowed, he would certainly kill this guy without hesitation, but—

He cannot act rashly.

One second, two seconds, ten seconds, one minute.

The two of them just stared at each other without saying a word.

"...I thought you would be unable to contain your thoughts and rush over to attack me."

Along with these words, the human laughed with an emotionless expression.

"Looks like you've matured a bit."

"...What exactly do you want?"

Both of them are at the pinnacle of Academy City.

As the number one, he took a step forward.

"Why did you call me here? Or is there something you want to order me to do?"

"So, it's just as I said."

"Humanity spoke again."

"It's just to give you a gift."

"what?"

"Then you should have it with you, right?"

Under Accelerator's astonished gaze, the other party continued.

"What that system gives you."

————? ! !

He couldn't help but show an unprecedented expression of astonishment, completely unable to contain himself.

The other party knows something he should absolutely not know.

correct.

Why does this guy know anything about the system?!

Bang! Almost instantly, without the slightest hesitation.

Accelerator stepped on the floor beneath his feet and shot forward in an instant.

"I think you're just wasting your time."

The human being, the ruling chairman of Academy City, did not make a move.

He simply watched quietly as the other person charged towards him.

Then, Accelerator discovered that the other party hadn't even made a move.

His body had already been sent flying backwards.

"Varied--?!"

We can't see what's going on, and we don't know what happened.

Before he could even draw his other weapons, he was ambushed by some strange attack.

Blood gushed from his back. Accelerator gritted his teeth and got up, but felt extremely heavy-hearted.

The reflection had no effect.

Something different forcefully penetrated his reflection.

"asshole…"

"Although I would prefer to communicate directly with language, it seems that this is the limit."

My consciousness is becoming increasingly blurred.

For some unknown reason, Accelerator felt that his injuries were not serious at all, and he could stand up again and launch a fierce attack on his opponent, but he felt extremely heavy-headed.

"Then, until then, please step aside for now."

That's all for now.

Accelerator didn't even see what knocked him unconscious before he passed out.

……

after that.

"Was it really necessary to go this far?"

An unfamiliar voice emerged.

In mid-air, a golden shadow appeared, looking like a person, but its essence was completely different.

Its head shimmered with some kind of golden cube.

“Aleister, I remember you’ve already input the AIM diffusion field data into the inside of the vector transformation device.”

"Indeed."

"Then why do such a thing?"

It gazes ahead, gazing at the one-way passage.

"Right now, IHF's force field should be enough to sustain him until NQNF, so why choose to have more NQ support?"

"You don't understand."

The voice, indistinguishable as male or female, continued speaking.

"He is a once-in-a-century talent, and at the same time, he is a core member of the project, on par with ImagineBreaker."

"…I see."

Only then did they begin to understand the ethereal voice.

"You really want to see the limits of possibility no matter what? That's exactly the kind of thing you would do."

"Aleister Crowley, the greatest wizard of the 20th century."

The sound faded away.

Only the first one, lying on the ground, remained, along with the humans staring at him.