One-way traffic

"Hmm, that's not bad at all!"

Merlin burst into laughter.

"Compared to simple battles, I think being able to see the scenery of countless worlds would be a better choice, right? Ah~ I wish I could be as free as you guys!"

But compared to Merlin, Anna, sitting next to him, seemed to be pondering all of this more thoughtfully.

Because, on countless nights, she would secretly seek out Accelerator to hear the stories he told about those worlds…

——————————————————————————————————————

This must be the last night.

Even at this time, the number one in Academy City remains alone on the rooftop.

The guys downstairs have all finished eating, and the sounds of clearing away the dishes have stopped. They've probably all gone to sleep.

…That's how it should be.

"It's almost midnight, kid, why aren't you in bed? What are you doing in a place like this?"

He didn't even turn his head, yet he already knew who had come.

pat.

Anna's footsteps came from behind.

Accelerator turned around and met the eyes of the purple-haired girl.

"I've said everything I needed to say, there's nothing more to say, so you should get back to your room right now..."

"...Could you please tell me one last story?"

Hearing about Accelerator's experiences in other worlds still couldn't make Anna let go of the past.

So, on this last night, the girl voiced the question that had been buried deep in her heart.

"This time, I want to hear your story."

Chapter 625 The Eve of the Decisive Battle

At first, Accelerator showed a strange expression when he heard Anna's words.

"Enough is enough... What does someone like me care about in his life?"

The first person continued, speaking in a slightly impatient tone.

"It's nothing more than eating, sleeping, getting up and continuing to work, no different from most humans... Hey, are you a hero from mythology or one of the gods? If that's the case, what is there in the life of an ordinary human like me that you care about?"

"...I see."

After hearing what he just said, anyone could see that Accelerator had no intention of revealing his past.

But Anna laughed easily after receiving this response.

She had already expected to receive this reply.

"Since you're not going to tell your story... then let me tell you mine."

I'm not so pathetic that I need a brat to tell me stories—that's a sentence that should have just slipped out in an instant.

But Accelerator did not do that.

The reason was that after seeing Anna's expression at that moment, he swallowed his words back.

Anna's face now displays an expression full of joy.

It seems that she is happy to be able to recall this memory from the past.

"…before."

That was the most cherished memory for this young girl, one that could never be replaced.

"I live on an island with my two beloved older sisters."

"Both of them are goddesses of extraordinary level, and I... am also someone who is quite similar to them."

"The three of us lived together in a happy and peaceful world, free from conflict and trouble. We had our own bright future and loved the people in our hearts."

"...But that's precisely why I hate humans."

They both like and dislike humans.

No.

Accelerator understood that what she meant was not so superficial.

"What I actually hate is... the fact that humans have discovered my identity, right?"

She said it with a smile—a wry smile.

The smile on Anna's face was one of helplessness and exhaustion.

It's like something I've experienced countless times before.

"It's not so much that I hate humans, but rather that I'm afraid of being looked at by humans in that way."

"Even so, I still love humans, because this city called Uruk has given me real warmth and comfort."

That was a completely different experience for Anna.

In my mind, I was someone who should be rejected and hated by humans.

…But it’s completely different in Uruk.

The people here don't care about their inhuman status; even so, they accept and embrace their existence.

But, as expected... I couldn't accept any of this.

The fate that awaits me, given my monstrous identity, is indeed unchangeable.

“I… exist here to kill Gorgon. Once I kill Gorgon, my mission in this world will be completely over. That’s what I used to think… But now, I’m different.”

"I will fight for the people of Uruk, I will fight for the safety of all of them, even at the cost of my own life—"

Her words, full of enlightenment, were abruptly cut off by the person in front of her.

Accelerator raised his hand, indicating that she didn't need to say anything more.

"...Let me make this clear beforehand, I don't care at all what your identity is."

The first-ranked student in Academy City was speaking to Anna in a tone that was almost nonchalant, but was not.

"Whether you're some kind of god or some famous hero from history, none of that matters to me. As for the fact that you're not human? Bullshit, what does that have to do with me?"

"what…!"

"You yourself are the one. Before you became a warrior, before you became a so-called hero in mythology, you must not have realized what your current identity is, right?"

This is not a compliment.

Rather, it was a derogatory tone.

Accelerator stood up from the wall and looked coldly at Anna in front of him.

"Right now, at least in my eyes, you're just a complete brat."

"This brat dares to talk about profound things like sacrifice and identity in front of me? What a load of bull! Just like I said, you better understand what your current identity is."

A string of curses left Anna stunned.

But she knew.

Although these words sound extremely malicious, the meaning they contain is actually quite simple.

Before realizing that she is a hero, she should also realize that she is just a girl.

Regardless of her own experiences and understanding, as a girl, Anna... should experience what it's like to be a girl.

Instead of thinking all day long about things that are neither human nor monster.

In Accelerator's eyes, this is how everything should be.

"I just said it casually. Whether you want to listen or not is completely irrelevant. Anyway, I have no right to say anything to you."

The first one simply put his hands behind his head and lay down again against the wall.

It took Anna a long time to finally come to her senses.

“...Up to now, I have come looking for you every single night in Uruk.”

"You also told me stories from all sorts of places, and, that old woman's eyes... you healed them too, didn't you?"

He's such a little brat, yet he talks so much...

Faced with a barrage of questions, Accelerator waved his hand impatiently.

"...If you don't sleep, I still need to sleep, so hurry up and disappear."

Anna said nothing more; she simply smiled gently and stepped back.

"...Thank you for being kind to others in a roundabout way."

After about thirty seconds, it finally became completely quiet behind me.

Accelerator turned around, looked at the rooftop where he was all alone, and pouted unhappily.

Anna has a history of being seen as a monster and feared by people.

…Isn't the same true of one-way passage?

Because the two had very similar pasts, the first one understood that such a thing was not something a kid who looked like a little girl should have.

The idea of ​​fighting for the city of Uruk and being prepared to die—this kind of thinking about sacrifice at the drop of a hat is utterly ridiculous.

Before becoming a so-called hero, this guy should first experience life as an ordinary kid.

Instead of dwelling on such heavy thoughts.

However... Anna was able to be loved by the people of this city and gain a new and decent memory of her own.

This is much better than what I was like back then.

When I came to my senses, the night wind in Uruk was blowing gently around me.

But on this rooftop, he was the only one left.

Nevertheless, Accelerator still did not feel desolate.

The first person stood on this rooftop, looking at the bright moon in the night sky.

The bright red eyes, as vivid as pigeon blood, reflected the radiant light of the moon.

"No matter which world you're in, you'll never have a moment's rest."

————————————————————————————————————————

It's late at night.

Then, at this time, which is close to dawn.

Two figures gathered together.

"Tomorrow will be the day my mother launches her final attack on Uruk."

Jingu looked up at the moonlight and spoke softly.

Having Enkidu's body, he became even more beautiful under the moonlight.

"The people of Uruk will face extinction, and this will be the beginning of the end of everything."

"...Don't get excited. Even a fool can see that things won't go that smoothly tomorrow, right?"

—!! He instinctively widened his eyes and looked at Cain beside him.

"Don't get agitated, am I not stating the truth?"

Cain stood on Kingu's side, remaining unfazed even though the dangerous aura emanating from the man beside him had reached a critical point.

"Or do you really think that by giving that goddess a Holy Grail, she can defeat that guy named Accelerator?"

"Stop daydreaming. This is pure bullshit that doesn't even qualify as a pipe dream."

Even with the addition of a completely new army of monsters, even with the fully recovered Gorgon, and the full power of the Holy Grail—

They could never beat that white-haired, red-eyed human.

Even Jingu himself was aware of this.