One-way traffic

"Even if I'm not using magic, but simply trying to analyze and reflect it with my abilities, I'll still be affected?"

"That's right, that's definitely impossible. The abilities of a power user and the magic of a magician are completely different kinds of power. So if you think you can survive with an invincible protective shield like you do in Academy City, you're basically out of luck."

"..."

Is it really?

In Accelerator's subconscious, a voice told him that it wasn't like that.

If ability users truly cannot interfere with magic at all, how did he manage to forcibly control the magic of that monster called the Golem in early September? How did he manage to deflect the Water Angel's attack in Russia? Even when rescuing Hatsune Miku, he used his ability to analyze a considerable amount of data.

Is it really as Budweiss said, that her abilities are completely incapable of interfering with the magical realm?

then.

Among the thoughtful group, Budwei turned his gaze to someone.

"..."

A guy with blond hair, looking like a delinquent.

He just sat there, his eyes darting around every now and then.

At first glance, it looks like he's deep in thought, just like Touma Kamijou and Accelerator.

…But in reality, Hamazura Shiage's gaze wasn't on the table, nor did he appear to be thinking.

He was looking behind Accelerator.

To be precise—it was on the table behind him… a magazine.

The magazine was full of pictures of stunningly beautiful girls, and it was half-open like that.

'Wow! Just a little more turning the page... almost there to see the next page!!'

"I say you."

pat.

Without hesitation, Bader stood up and stood directly in front of Hamazura Shige.

"If you're so capable, repeat everything I just said!"

"I remember, I remember everything!! In order to use magic, I had to accompany a beautiful older sister for instruction, and it was even a close, hands-on session—"

"You weren't even thinking about anything, were you? Get lost!"

As expected, the merciless blow sent Hamazura Shiage spinning like a top.

Ignoring the idiot lying there, Budwei looked at the group again.

"Now that we've gotten to the point, well... I didn't come to Academy City just to give you lectures."

"So you mean...?"

"The enemy is not far away."

As Budwei spoke, the expressions of the three people changed one after another.

"The enemy? That means—?"

"The remnants of World War III, those guys... they're probably almost here in Academy City by now."

As soon as Budweiser said that, Accelerator also instantly came up with a certain idea.

The remnants of World War III.

If we're talking about the connection between Academy City and World War III, in essence, there's no real connection at all.

Based on what Badway had said before, the mastermind behind World War III, Right Flame, was acting in order to seize Touma Kamijou's right hand.

If we accept what Budwei said—

"The group of enemies you mentioned, they're also after this guy's right hand?"

"Targeting me... this Imagine Breaker?"

"I didn't expect you to be so quick-witted!"

Budweih turned around and chuckled.

It was nothing more than a cold laugh.

"That's how it is. These guys probably came to Academy City to confirm Touma Kamijou's right hand, which is Imagine Breaker, right?"

"What, what's going on?"

"It's about confirming life and death. Those guys need to personally verify whether Kamijou Touma, who possesses Imagine Breaker, is alive or not, so they need to carry out this operation to search the entire world."

if it is like this.

"Yes, what those guys have prepared is something like a floating island, a device very similar to the Bethlehem Star used by the Right Flame during World War III. They'll use it as a detector to probe Touma Kamijou's right hand."

"I will explain the detection principle to you in detail later. For now, if we leave it alone, those guys will definitely crash the floating island directly into the sky above this Academy City."

If an island were to crash directly onto Academy City, the outcome would be obvious even without specific knowledge.

The entire Academy City will be destroyed.

Both Touma Kamijou and Shiage Hamazura had extremely furrowed brows.

"If that's the case, how exactly can we stop them?"

"Those guys aren't capable of fully exploring an entire planet. Anyway, they probably set up some kind of probe markers inside Academy City beforehand. Using that as a standard, they can directly detect Touma Kamijou's right hand."

"Where exactly is it in Academy City?"

"If it were that easy to draw conclusions, I wouldn't need to consider them as formidable enemies at all."

In other words, the current methods are insufficient to locate the landmarks hidden within Academy City.

If it cannot be found, a gigantic floating island, appearing from an unknown source, will land directly above Academy City, crushing the entire city.

Kamijou Touma gritted his teeth.

"...In that case, I'll just run away from Academy City by myself! That way, I can prevent everyone from being killed—"

"No, there's absolutely no need for that."

The person who answered him was not Budwei.

Accelerator, who had been sitting on the other side, suddenly stood up.

He looked at Touma Kamijou and spoke simply and calmly.

"Leave this kind of thing to me."

He was the number one in Academy City, but that was all. In the past, it would have been difficult to end everything with power of this level.

…But things are different now.

The Accelerator of today is very different from the one of the past.

Chapter 310 You'll Follow Us

Accelerator is standing outdoors.

To be precise, it should be at the very top of the Live venue.

The live show has now come to an end. Although many people are still lingering outside the venue, the interior is mostly occupied by staff.

So now is the perfect time for him to do his homework.

That's right.

The number one strongest in Academy City, he slightly closed his eyes.

Then, adjust the electrode light on the neck to red.

“…Let’s get started.”

In the next instant, the range of perception expanded to several kilometers away.

Accelerator effortlessly controlled the atmosphere of the entire city.

Within Academy City, which is comparable to the entire capital region, the specific air currents and sky conditions are thus in the hands of the First One. All he does is use the influence of the atmosphere to create wind, thereby detecting certain details within the city.

That's right.

This is his homework.

Relying on one's own abilities to perceive feng shui itself.

The so-called feng shui has been clearly defined even in China, and there are similar practices in Japan, but as that Budwei said...

If one cannot refine life force into magic power, then one is even less capable of manipulating feng shui itself.

even so.

It wasn't one of those Chinese feng shui masters who knew everything; he still managed to do it all by his own efforts.

only.

"...It's still lacking in experience."

Crack! Crack! Crack! An unusual bulge appeared on the monster's forehead—it was a blue vein.

The blood vessels in his temples and hands twitched unnaturally, looking like taut ropes, but Accelerator's expression remained completely unmoved.

That level of power was not enough to attract his attention.

He has now achieved an unprecedented improvement in his mental state, and even magical influences of this magnitude will not harm his spirit.

While he still couldn't avoid physical harm, Accelerator was no longer having any problems maintaining his conscious mind.

What he was doing was not trying to manipulate the energy of feng shui itself.

Instead, it involves manipulating the atmosphere of the entire city to perceive a subtle sense of unease.

"Just as I expected, the flow of people in that godforsaken place is anything but normal."

At first glance, it seems there's nothing wrong with it.

However, the crowd itself seemed to be leaking like a bathtub with the plug turned on, gradually converging towards that spot. If you looked at the entire Academy City, you could easily see the unusual scale of the situation.

Accelerator snorted coldly.

He switched the electrodes on his neck. Although he could have done it all on his own, it would have been much easier with the help of a clone who provided about 45% of the computational support.

He took out his phone and called someone he had just added to his contacts.

"I sensed something was off. The Central Hub Substation in the Seventh School District is in that godforsaken place."

"Is that so? I understand, thanks!"

"...Don't cause me any more trouble next time."

On the other end, Touma Kamijou and Shiage Hamazura seemed to head there quickly, while Accelerator casually hung up the phone.

From a distance, it appears that something in the sky is gradually approaching.

It looks like a spaceship, but in reality, it's an entire giant island.

"...That thing?"

If possible, Accelerator could now defeat that thing directly using only his own strength.

This is not something that cannot be done. Whether it is by manipulating the Earth's rotation or by relying on the power output of the "Doomsday Destroyer", none of this is difficult at all. Accelerator currently possesses such a level of destructive power.

However, that is also a power from the realm of magic.

That brat named Budwei also said the same thing to himself.

"You shouldn't always think about solving problems by brute force. I admit that as an ability user, you do possess unprecedented destructive power, which is equivalent to the scale of a nuclear weapon even in the magical realm... But that's not a reason to act recklessly. If you directly rely on brute force to destroy the enemy's spiritual equipment or the enemy itself, it will inevitably cause even more extensive consequences."

"The destruction of one spell will be the beginning of another. The same thing happened when the angels fell. From the perspective of magic, mere destructive power is not the absolute foundation. I hope you can remember all of this."

At least for now, even if Accelerator possesses the formidable strength to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, he shouldn't have revealed his trump card like this.

Therefore, we can leave the rest to that powerless person (Level 0).

"Those two guys are already gone, right?"

"That's natural. Oh, and by the way, the enemy's fortress is now almost within reach of Academy City."

"What if those two idiots make a mistake?"

"Who knows, that thing will probably just fall down and turn the entire Academy City to ashes."