The Barrier

-6th September 1:20p.m.-

Accelerator was inside his own ward with the doctor, expecting to be taken to an inspection room where the doctor would reveal what he found about the 'princess' on the computer. However, he did not expect the doctor to pull out a controller and show him an anatomy of her whole body.

A hologram appeared in front of him.

"...Didn't expect the hospital to have such fancy gadgets." Accelerator comments.

"There's a reason why you're still alive right now." The doctor replies.

"..."

"Anyway, look at this."

Heaven Canceller grabs what looked like a capsule and explains,"This machine that functions as her heart uses gears and springs to move."

"Are you kidding me? When was Academy City so old-fashioned?"

Then he presses another button, and they were shown the insides of the capsule.

"Did you see this liquid built up in here?'"

That's just blood right? You said it was a heart, so there should be nothing else but blood inside."

"Except it isn't. This machine has thin tubes that all extends throughout her entire body, including her brain. Moreover, it's gathering all the materials secreted within an esper's body. I've seen a paper describing something similar."

Then Heaven Canceller's showed a sad expression.

"?"

"It was written by Kihara Gensei, and inside that paper, he described a substance called 'Body Crystal'. It's a drug that intentionally sends an esper's powers out of control."

However, Accelerator wasn't listening to what he said about the body crystal. He was more invested in the name "Kihara".

"Kihara, hm? I haven't heard that shitty name in a while. It's gonna make my eardrums rot."

A dark aura surrounded him as he said that. The name 'Kihara'. It will be rare to find someone who is in the dark side and has never heard of the name 'Kihara'. A despicable bunch who has absolutely no sympathy for those around them, including their 'family' members.

A bunch of psychotic freaks who only cares about reaching level 6, a family that only serves the head of Academy City, Aleister Crowley. Only a few people know this fact, and the people who knows this, are all Kiharas. The Kiharas love Accelerator a lot. Especially one person. He was the apple of their eye, but after he was shot in the head, they gave up on him.

Heaven Canceller saw that change in Accelerator's mood, so he distracted him by saying,"It would have been simple enough to have the hospital's equipment take over her heart functions in place of this machine, but her entire nervous system is so complexly tangled up that I can't predict what the machine would do if I tried to forcibly remove it. For one thing, I don't even know how the machine is moving."

Accelerator came back to his senses and told the doctor,"If the name Kihara is involved, then it's bound to be something abominable. If you just want to look after the hospital, you could just send her away. She's being pursued, so she'll be forced to leave Academy City soon."

Heaven Canceller smiled and told Accelerator,"I will heal every single one of my patients. I would never send one away. No matter how impossible it may seem to try and save them, I will definitely find a way to save them."

"*Sigh* I suppose so. That's the kind of guy you are."

Then, Ester's voice could be heard out in the hallways. She was shouting.

"HEY, HEY! HEY, HEY! Doctor, please come out!"

"Tch, what the hell happened this time. Don't tell me she got dragged back into the darkness." Accelerator says, feeling annoyed.

"I'll go see what happened." Heaven Canceller says as he steps out of the ward, to see Ester supporting the 'princess' around her shoulders. The 'princess' was panting hard, barely being able to support herself.

"What happened?" Heaven Canceller asks as Accelerator walks out of the ward as well.

"She said to register her at the organ bank, and then she collapsed right afterwards!"

Heaven Canceller looks at Accelerator, and he looked back, expecting the doctor to back up what he had said.

"I'll do what I can to treat her. Come, bring her to the operating room."

Heaven Canceller helps Ester to carry the 'princess' all the way to the operating room, with Accelerator following behind them, and once they got her in, Accelerator sat on one of the two benches outside the operating room as Ester paces back and forth.

"What is it?" Accelerator asks her.

"I'm worried for her...yet again, I wasn't able to help Himegi-sama..."

"You tried your best, didn't you?"

"No...there was nothing I could do. I could only bring her back here."

"You still brought her in, didn't you?"

"That's true...but..."

"Tch, you're annoying."

"Sorry, master..."

"Drop the 'master'. I told you, I'm not your master."

"But there are many things I still want to learn from you!"

She rushes up to him and kneels in front of him with her hands on his lap.

"What the hell do you even want to learn from me? Like I said, your kind and gracious heart is all you need."

"No, I need strength! I want to protect others. I also want to protect..."

She whispered something under her breath as she looked down and he asks her,"What was that?"

"O-Oh, it's nothing."

"Tch, if you have something to say, just spit it out."

"Oh, no! It's really nothing, Master!"

"I told you to drop the 'master'..."

"O-Oh, sorry Master..."

"*sigh* You really are hopeless..."

Then he gets up from the bench and walks away.

"Master, where are you going?"

"To do some research. Tell the doctor that I'll be borrowing a room."

He walks off and manages to locate the doctor's office. When he entered, he saw two laptops on the study desk, and one large screen on the wall. He plugs in the power for the two laptops and turns them on.

"He called it 'body crystal', right? I've heard of a drug that intentionally makes esper powers go berserk. I believe it was made to induce RSPK syndrome. But the burden on the user was too great for the Level 6 Shift experiments, so it was abandoned by the mainstream."

He clicks on a few folders and locates the place where all the past events that has to do with Academy City's history were. When he managed to access the folders, he found a whole page filled with files.

"What the hell? This many? *sigh* It's been a long time since I've stayed up late. Well, I have nothing better to do anyway, I guess I should just burn the midnight oil."

-7th September 12:02 a.m.-

Accelerator was done looking through the files as he stretched his arms out and thought,"Urrgghh...what's the time now...I'm hungry as hell right now...hmm...maybe I'll order chicken drumsticks."

He yawns just as the door opens up and Ester was there.

"Himegi-sama woke up!"

"Ahn? See, I told you. You worry too much."

"I guess so...anyway, what have you been doing?"

"Just looking through all the medical papers released in Academy City over the past few years."

She walks up to him and looks at the two screens to find all the files he had accessed.

"Wow master, you are really impressive! That's a lot of things to look at!"

"It's nothing much. I only realised that Academy City is truly beyond saving. But this is perfect. If that girl is awake, there's something I want to ask her."

He walks forward but then, his foot gets caught up in the wires which he plugged the computer in, and he stumbled all the way to the corner of the door and hit his head, opening up his wound again.

"What...the fuck?!"

Blood runs down his forehead and into his eyes as Ester shouts,"Master! Are you okay?!"

"Urghh...I can't fucking see any...thing..."

Then, he collapses on to the floor.

-8th September 12:09p.m.-

Accelerator woke up and he was greeted by the face of Ester, Last Order and Heaven Canceller. There were tubes connected to his blood vessel and a machine, recording his heart rate.

"..."

He got up and Ester hugged him,"I was so worried, master."

"Tch, get off me..."

"Uwaa! What is this happening in front of Misaka! Says Misaka as Misaka is stunned by how bold this woman is!"

"You really worried us, you know?" Heaven Canceller says.

"That's right, that's right! Misaka was surprised and so worried when she heard that your wound opened up again, says Misaka as Misaka feels angry and tries to hide that she's crying a bit because of how happy she is that you woke up!"

"Tch, not so loud. It's giving me a headache."

Ester lets go of Accelerator and Last Order replies,"If you can say mean things, then you must be fine. The doctor said you did too much without resting so soon after major injury and that a part of your brain was bleeding but it would be absorbed soon and you would be fine, but...are you really fine?"

He turns his Calculation Assistance Device on, and manipulated the bio-electricity in his head to check his blood flow and brain pulse.

"There is some noise. There's some blood in the cerebellum. The damaged blood vessels he was talking about must have burst...and it really is getting absorbed without issue." He thought as he turns his battery back to 'normal' mode.

"Yeah, I'm fine. There's nothing wrong."

"Are you sure?" Ester asks.

"Yeah, stop asking. You worry too much, and it's getting annoying..."

"I'm just worried. I thought you might have...you know..."

Accelerator, the person who had stood alone in Academy City for many years already, finally had someone who actually cared about him. Who didn't seek him just to experiment on him, or to use him for their own benefit. They actually cared about him. He was grateful for that.

"Who do you think I am?"

"Huh?"

"I'm the damn #1, don't underestimate me."

"Oh...right...but still..."

"Tch, just shut up already!"

Everyone jumped when he shouted, even Heaven Canceller.

"Accelerator, she was just watching out for you. Don't you think you should be more appreciative?"

"...Tch, whatever. Anyway, what's the time now? I figured a lot of things from that mountain of papers. But I have to confirm some things with hat girl to continue, so where is she?"

The person to answer him was Ester.

"About that...she left here on the day that you passed out."

"Ha? Wasn't she on the run from someplace bad?"

"Well, actually, she was taken away by Anti-Skill."

"Hey, how could you confirm that it was Anti-Skill? We just saw how shitty Anti-Skill's dark side is."

"B-But Himegi-sama said it was fine."

Then Heaven Canceller cut their conversation off,"Ahem...Allow me to explain. The patient...Himegi, was it? First, her condition has entered a lull. But she is constantly experiencing a power overload combined with sedatives to calm it down. That means her stamina is slowly being sapped at all times. That would explain why she collapsed. That device seems to be what is managing her power overload. Unfortunately, surgically removing that device would be dangerous, as I previously explained."

The next line he said, was a killer.

"But that was exactly the method Anti-Skill proposed."

"...What do you mean?" Accelerator asks.

"They would use a special machine that can interfere with internal areas that normal surgical equipment can't reach. It's apparently called the 'Forceps' and Anti-Skill has supposedly secured it."

"That sounds like bullshit."

"...I won't say anything, but if Anti-Skill really has something like that, I wouldn't mind handing her over to them, if it means that she can be healed more efficiently."

"Anyway..." Last Order then starts to speak.

"You were the person who saved Misaka, right? Asks Misaka as Misaka hides the fact that she actually knows that it was you who saved her but is insistent on playing dumb."

"No, it wasn't me who saved you. It was Anti-Skill."

"Oh, look at you, being so modest, says Misaka as Misaka teases you."

"What did you say?" Accelerator asks as a sinister grin appeared on his face.

"Uwaaaa!! Uh...nothing! Uhhh...oh right! Hime-sama left you a letter when you were asleep." Last Order then pulls out a white envelope from her lab coat that she always wears.

"Here!"

Accelerator takes the envelope and opens it. He takes the note out from inside and reads it, expecting a sincere goodbye. The note read...

'Now, this may be sudden, but I must leave due to my health condition.'

He felt relieved but sad as he read that, but there was more...

'As for your crime of touching a maiden's pure breast, I have endured the unendurable, and stomached the unstomachable, to forgive you in exchange for paying my hospital bill.

Aren't I just too kind? Thanks!

Sincerely,

Himegi'

"Master, what did she say?"

Accelerator crumpled the paper in his hands and threw it in front of him shouting,"What the hell is this?!"

"W-What happened, Master?"

"Now that Misaka thinks about it...why are you calling him 'master'?! What is the relationship between the two of you?! No, wait...Misaka has an idea of what it may be...says Misaka as Misaka feels ashamed to have partnered up with someone with a weird kink."

"I didn't force her to call me 'master'! And how do you know those type of words?"

"Yes, that's right! I willingly called him master because I have a lot to learn from him!"

"Stay out of this!"

Then he gets out of bed.

"Tch, there's still some things I have to ask her, go away—"

He was pushed back by Last Order and Heaven Canceller.

"Oi...what's the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to rest here for 3 days. Your wound hasn't finished closing up yet."

"What are you talking about? I'm perfectly—"

"I wouldn't recommend going out in this condition you know?"

Last Order and Heaven Canceller showed him a very serious expression but it looked more like a joke than being serious.

"*sigh* Then contact Anti-Skill and tell them that I want to speak with that girl."

"Okay...? Misaka doesn't know what you want to ask her, but Misaka knows that you have something planned, don't you? Asks Misaka as Misaka suspects that you might try to escape."

"Tch, I won't! Just hurry up and call Anti-Skill."

"Actually, Yomikawa gave me her number a few days ago."

Ester pulls out a note with Yomikawa's number inside.

Last Order dialed the number into the phone on the mini-desk and the ringtone buzzed for a while, but eventually, Yomikawa picks up.

"Yomikawa Aiho, who's this speaking?"

"Ah, Yomikawa! This is Last Order, and Misaka wants to contact Himegi who Anti-Skill took into their care, says Misaka as Misaka..."

"Himegi...who?"

"Himegi...Himegi..."

She repeats as she looks at Ester for Himegi's given name.

"Oh, it's Matsuri." Ester replies her.

"Ah yes! Himegi Matsuri!"

"Oh, may I know why you're looking for her?"

"Oh, because we're friends, says Misaka as Misaka..."

"Okay, wait just a moment."

The room fell silent for a couple of seconds and Accelerator grumbles a bit out of annoyance. Then Last Order looks at him and assured him,"She says wait a moment."

After about 30 more seconds, Yomikawa came back to the phone.

"Sorry about the wait, Himegi Matsuri, right?"

"Right! Can you put her on the—"

"We didn't take anyone by that name."

"Eh?"

Last Order was confused as it doesn't make sense. Anti-Skill came by earlier...or was it not Anti-Skill? Was it D.A. again? Was it another organization from Anti-Skill's dark side?

"I said we didn't take anyone by that name. Did you get it wrong maybe?"

Then Last Order looks at Accelerator and Ester and tells them,"Hime-sama disappeared..."

Accelerator just looks ahead, not panicking as he managed to snuff them out.

"...I see. So that's how it's going to be..."

"Then what do we now? Asks Misaka as Misaka looks at you for the next step."

"Just forget about it."

"Eh? But..."

"It means she's returned to her proper path."

"Hmmmm..."

"..."

"Hmmmm..."

"...Tch. If it really bothers you that much, go to the nearby construction site. The one that looks like an Eiffel Tower. There won't be any evidence of anything that even happened."

"What do you mean, master?"

"Think for yourself. If you still can't get it, you can always look for Yomikawa and ask her yourself. My guess is that the girl is involved with a case that Anti-Skill is pursuing and that no one can reveal anything, even among themselves."

"Huh? How can you be so certain? Asks Misaka as Misaka thinks that your guess might be wrong."

"The drones that attacked me two days ago had an Anti-Skill logo on them, and they were chasing the drone which was carrying the girl. It can't be a coincidence. Although like you said, I may be wrong, as someone might have used all their time sticking shit onto the drones and fly them around to terrorize people, or frame Anti-Skill into doing something wrong."

"However, one thing's for sure is that the Board of Directors or an executive is pulling the strings behind the scenes. Ultimately, the only people who could allow Anti-Skill to do these kinds of things are the Board of Directors. They control almost everything except espers."

"That is a lot for Misaka to take in...says Misaka as Misaka feels overwhelmed by the amount of information that you just gave."

"Tch, just get going already. You have the Misaka network to help you, don't you?"

"That is true...says Misaka as Misaka starts relying on the help of the Sisters to process and memorize everything."

"Okay, come on, Ester!"

"Right!" Then she turns to Accelerator.

"Master, I won't fail you."

"Tch, this isn't necessarily a mission you know?"

"But still...I won't fail you!"

"*sigh* Just get going already. You might lose sight of her."

"Right!"

She runs out of the ward, in pursuit of Last Order, leaving Accelerator alone with Heaven Canceller.

"Hey, can I get something to eat?"

"Oh, right. You haven't eaten much, have you?"

"Yeah."

"I'll get the nurses to send you something."

"Thanks."

"Hmm it seems you can be nice sometimes."

"...Just shut up and do your job."

"Right, right. I'll be on my way now."

"*sigh* The #1, having to rely on a shitty device to do his calculations and is bedridden. It's laughable, really. Well, guess I'll read finish my books."

He picks up one of the books from beside his bed and continues reading it. The nurses soon came with his food, and he dug in, without interruption. A plate of rice with cauliflowers and chicken meat with a slice of watermelon by the side. Paired with a can of fruit juice.

After he had finish his meal, he picked the can of fruit juice up and sipped on it, enjoying the everlasting taste of the fruit juice.

He gets up from the bed, just for the nurse who was sitting behind the corner of the room to rush towards him and push him back down.

"Oi, seriously?"

"What valid reason do you have for getting out of bed?"

"I need the bathroom? I haven't showered?"

"...Fair enough..."

"*sigh* Now back off."

He finally gets up. He takes the cane lying against the wall with his clothes and towel, and limps all the way to the bathroom, with the nurse creepily staring at him from behind.

"What the hell...Is this a haunted house or a hospital?" He thought, but his thoughts were cut off when he heard a particular conversation...

"Did you see? There was a tall man with red hair, a black cloak with a barcode underneath his right eye. Plus the rings on each of his fingers, and his earrings...so stylish!!!"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He came in here and took a girl with blonde hair with him."

"Woah...do you think...it was a jealousy love story?"

"Or maybe...she didn't want to accept him, so he decided to kidnap her?"

"Yeah! Maybe that's right!"

"Kyaaaa~~ He was so cool! Especially with that cigarette in his mouth and that demeanor he put up. So cold~~"

Accelerator caught wind of this and he was shocked.

"Red hair? Black cloak? No way...are they that obsessed with that boy?! Tch, whatever the case is, that blondie could have been Ester..."

He looked back to see the nurse again.

"I need to get this piece of shit away from me first. Trust me, my ass! After she said that, she gets caught. I swear...she's really hopeless..."

He goes into the bathroom and quickly showers and changes into his usual jeans with the white and grey striped shirt.

-6th September 2:37p.m.-

"Tch, let's get this over with." He says as he spins his head around once and walks away from the unconscious nurse in the bathroom.

When he entered his ward, there was a long rectangular envelope on his bed.

"Seriously? Don't tell me someone is asking me to pay for their hospital bills again..."

When he opened the envelope, there were two things inside. A letter which read...

"Accelerator: if you want her alive, go to the abandoned theater 'Twilight theater' outside Academy City at seven tonight. Alone."

And the last thing or, things to be exact, we're a stack of papers. When he took a closer look at them, they were exit permits and other related documents filled in.

"...Seriously? Do they seriously want to die tonight? But 7 at night...are they serious? They come at this timing to give me a note, take Ester away, and expects me to wait for about 4 hours before going there? This must be a mistake on their part...There could also be a possibility that they might have taken Last Order."

He crushes the note in his hand and then throws it into the dustbin.

"Whatever the case is...I'll fucking kill them..."

He opens the window to the outside and turns on the battery on his choker. He jumps out through the window with the documents and his cane, and starts to walk all the way outside Academy City. Little does he know the amount of trouble he will be facing...

-8th September 4:55p.m.-

"I'm finally out...the people at the security wouldn't let me through because I'm the '#1' in Academy City. Tch, annoying fucks. I understand that espers have to be kept away from the world in order to protect the world from monsters like me, but still..."

Accelerator was walking through the area without using the GPS on his phone as it could not locate the 'Twilight Theater' on the outside, so he went to one of the convenient stores to buy a map, but of course, his credit card was broken, so he memorized the map into his head.

"Come to think about it, the Daihaseisai is nearing, isn't it? The security should have been more relaxed than usual, since outsiders would be allowed to come in during this period. Urgh...this is just annoying..."

He was about 1 kilometer away from his designated location as he passed by a bus stop. Then suddenly, someone called out...

"Um, excuse me?" A girl's voice could be heard as she spoke in a rather polite Japanese.

"Not to me..."

Then he felt a tug at his shirt.

"Ahn?"

"Sorry to take your time, but may I ask, is there any buses around here that goes to Academy City?"

The girl was around the same height as Accelerator and she seemed like a foreigner. In such a hot weather, she still wore a black nun's habit. The sleeves and the dress were long, and there were silver zippers around the elbow, and about 20 centimeters above the knees. It looked like they were detachable, though she had not done that. Her hands were covered with thin white gloves, and her hair could not be seen as it was covered by a nun's cap.

The attire she wore looked rather tight on her as it emphasized on her slim waist and large breasts.

"There are no buses that go to Academy City. Academy City doesn't just allow outsiders in whenever they want. If you want to enter Academy City, you'll need an entry permit."

"Entry...permit?"

"Yeah. In order to get one, you'll have to be a close relative of a student or an industrial worker who's delivering goods or resources can get one."

"Oh...I see..."

The nun had a very disappointed expression as she dropped her shoulders. Then, a bus came and she turned her heads toward the bus and she waved Accelerator goodbye.

"Thank you, I shall see you in Academy City sometime soon!"

"Wait...what? Where are you going?"

"To Academy City."

He pulls her back and then waves to the bus driver to get out of there quick.

"I just told you that there are no buses that goes to Academy City..." He was frustrated as his words had fallen on deaf ears.

"Oh my, you look very angry. Are you okay?"

"...*sigh* Anyway, I'm busy."

"With what, may I ask?"

"It's none of your business."

Then he continued walking.

"Oh, before you go, can you help me look at the bus route?"

"...like I said...there are no buses to Academy City!"

"Oh, right. You did say that...hm?" She looks at his face as he was sweating.

"Here, let me help you."

She pulls a handkerchief out from her long sleeves and wipes his face with it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing...?"

"Wiping the sweat off of your face."

"Seriously? Why would you even do that for a stranger?"

"You tried your best to help me, it's only right that I return the favor to you."

"..."

The #1 said nothing as he continues walking, baffled by her actions.

"Ah, are you thirsty by any chance?"

"No."

"Do want some candy?"

"What am I? A child?"

"Oh no, that wasn't my intention."

The way she said that was more genuine. He had been around a lot of people that would mock him in many ways, but for once, he wasn't being mocked.

"I wonder which bus can go into Academy City."

"...*sigh* I give up..."

Soon, they reached the Twilight Theatre. The parking lot looked rather small, but that could probably be because there was a bus-stop and a multi-story parking garage next to it. The entire place was surrounded by metal plates and iron bars two meters tall, and the entrance used by employees seemed to have been forcefully opened.

The place looked rather clean, no vandalism was done to it, despite being abandoned. The Twilight Theatre was square-shaped, and it was bigger than a stadium. The entrance was quite big as well, with 5 glass doors facing outwards. It was not sealed off by planks, and made it looked like the place was suspended rather than shut down.

Then, three people walked out through the entrance. Well, two walked out, the other was dragged across the floor.

It was Ester and, Stiyl, the man who tried to murder him with flames. Ester was tied up with a cloth in her mouth as Stiyl dragged her on the ground.

The last person was a girl who was around 148cm, however he didn't know if that was true as she was wearing wooden sandals with thirty-centimeter-thick soles. She was wearing a black nun's habit similar to that of the nun beside him, except she had removed the part of her skirt below the zipper, so the skirt became a mini-skirt.

"So, what did you call me out here for? A challenge for my #1 spot? Want me to be assassinated?" Accelerator said as he placed his finger on his button to his power.

"That was not the question that I expected, but I called you out here to help me find someone. But I knew you wouldn't come so easily, so I kidnapped this girl. Oh yeah, and this girl is Agnese Sanctis of the Roman Catholic Church. She's the one in charge of the search."

The girl gave a very deep bow and said,"He-Hello..."

The bow she gave him was way way too much, it was something like how Ester would bow to him, a literal 90 degree bow.

"Ha? She's supposed to be in charge yet she's timid? Is he lying to me?" Accelerator thought.

"Whatever the case is, hand that girl over to me. I have no interests in your problems. Your problems are not mine." Accelerator said.

"That's fine. Just hand over the girl beside you as well." Stiyl calmly said as he blew the smoke from his cigarette out of his mouth.

"Ahn...?" Then he notices the similarities in their clothing, but more so, he noticed the expression on Orsola's face. It wasn't someone who was glad to have reunited with their own kind.

"The nun beside you is the person we're looking for. Her name is Orsola Aquinas. You've done your part, you may leave now."

"...Seriously? Now this isn't fun...HAHAHAHA!!" The #1 grinned as he turned the device around his neck on, and the whole ground shook and broke apart. He bursts from the ground and took Ester away in a second.

He lands on one of the glass doors horizontally, and boosts himself back to where Orsola was standing.

"*sigh* That's why I didn't want to work with you. Innocentius!"

The large flaming beast rose up from the ground again and it lifted one of it's arms up. It drops its arm down, but Accelerator put his left hand up, and the flaming beast was torn down.

He blasted off the ground again laughing like a maniac and then he used his right fist to punch Stiyl in the face.

Stiyl tumbles back and once he regained his footing, he rubs his nose.

"Urgh...that was a good punch. A punch much harder than that boy."

But before Stiyl could act again, Accelerator charged at him, tackling him through the glass doors.

The glass shattered and he stood over Stiyl.

"Heh, pretty fuckin weak for someone so arrogant."

He turns his back to Stiyl and walks out.

"Now, that should have made her feel better." He thought. But before he could see her reaction, a voice from above caught his attention.

"Orsola Aquinas, I believe that you yourself know this well. Instead of returning to the Roman Catholic Church, how about you join us instead, and enjoy a much more meaningful life?"

In an instant, three blades came out from the ground and cut an equilateral triangle of 2 meters each around Orsola.

"Aaaahhh!!"

Orsola dropped through the hole, but Accelerator didn't give chase. Why? Was it that he did not care anymore? Had he already repaid his kindness?

No, it was because he cracked the ground earlier. If he were to do that again, the whole ground would inevitably crash down and kill her as well. He could not accept that. That was not what he wanted.

"Amakusa!"

Agnese shouted as she stretched her hand out, but she could not reach Orsola, who had been swallowed by the darkness already.

The voice came from a paper balloon above them and it resounded with a delightful and powerful voice.

"I knew that if I were to follow the commander of the Roman Catholic Church, no matter where Orsola Aquinas would run to or who she'd be captured by, she'd eventually be brought back here! After hiding underground for so long, my efforts have finally paid off!"

"Tch, what is he? A damn crocodile?" Accelerator picks up one of the rocks from the broken ground and shot the paper balloon down.

By the time Accelerator had made it there, he could see nothing. They were long gone in the darkness.

Then, he received a phone call. When he saw the caller ID, it was Last Order.

"Misaka gives up. You win. Misaka accepts defeat. So, are you actually getting some rest? Asks Misaka as Misaka guesses you've been wandering around and may have even picked up a new girl."

"..."

"You're kidding Misaka, right? Asks Misaka as Misaka thinks that you actually have picked up a new girl."

"No, I'm in bed right now."

"That sounds great! Says Misaka as Misaka feels relieved! Be a good boy! Bye~!"

She hung up the call and Accelerator looks at his phone as if he had eaten a very sour candy. He snaps the ropes binding Ester, and takes the cloth out of her mouth before turning his battery back to 'normal'.

"...I'm sorry, master...I failed to do what I promised you..."

"Tch, I don't care about what you do, let's just go home already."

"Err...ummm...please help us!"

The person who requested this was Agnese as she did her 90 degrees bow again.

"Why should I? You've placed me in a very risky situation. Asking a patient who's supposed to be resting, to help you? Don't joke around with me. Your problems are not my problems."

"Please! Just this once! We need as much of an advantage as possible! The people we're fighting are culturally educated, and are very capable. Even our group of 250 members might not be able to take them down!"

"...I don't care."

Then he felt a tug on his shirt. He looks at Ester who had that face again. The face of wanting to help someone.

"Master, lets help them!"

"...Tch, do it yourself."

He pushes her away as he continues walking with his cane.

"You might want to get invested with this one. *cough* *cough*"

"Heh, you're still alive?"

"It'll take more than that to kill me."

Stiyl came out of the Theatre with blood flowing down the right corner of his lip.

"This involves the whole world."

Accelerator stops in his tracks and tilts his head back.

"What do you mean?"

"The Book of the Law. An original copy at that."

"What's that?"

"It's a grimoire that grants anyone who reads it, tremendous power. Power to end the whole of Christianity."

"And, what does that have to do with the world?"

"If Christianity as a whole disappear, there might not be any religions left. The world might not even exist. Our world is set upon those laws."

"..."

"In this world, we have three major churches, the one which I belong in, is called the Anglican Church. The one which Agnese belongs in, is called the Roman Catholic Church, and the last one is called the Russian Orthodox Church. If anyone gets their hands on that grimoire, they'll attain powers similar to that of an angel."

"What is this? A fantasy world?"

"I guess you could call it that. But trust me, the powers that one attain as an angel is something I wouldn't joke about so loosely."

Then he pulled a cigarette out, lit up the tip and took a puff.

"There was once a man called Edward Alexander. He's already dead, but he was the most powerful magician that ever lived, to the point where he was even qualified to be recorded in the New Testament. Edward was the lowest of humans. I don't even think he can be considered a human anymore."

Then he took another puff.

"On one of his trips, he used his wife to carry out a magical experiment. His wife had been accompanying him throughout his entire journey, and he used her as a medium to contact the guardian angel, Aiwass."

"..."

Stiyl was serious, and Accelerator wanted to know more about the dangers of the book and about the new world he stumbled on to.

Magic.

"They also had a daughter at that time, and when she died, he remained unmoved. Continuing his research on theories of magick. In order to continue the experiments, he used girls who were as old as his daughter as sacrifices."

"..."

Accelerator didn't want to say anything still. Or rather, he was in no position to.

It was not because of his inferior knowledge of magic.

No.

It was because that person called Edward Alexander...

Was just like him.

They sacrificed their humanity for power. If Accelerator were to see the person in flesh, he'd be disgusted by the looks of that person. Edward Alexander was like a reminiscent of his past.

Except, he went all the way.

"Still, he did manage to define a so-called different world. A different and overlapping one like heaven and hell, and open new grounds in the field of magic rituals. Just by those points alone, his contributions are undeniable."

"So it's just like science and magic? Two different set of laws, yet they can still overlap one another?"

"Yes, just like when a magician enters Academy City. Anyway, there are too many legends about that guy. One of the legends spoke of him using the Book of the Law to get out of every dangerous situation he was in. Basically, acting as a way to tell him the future."

"If it's so dangerous, why don't they just burn it?"

"It's not that simple. Original grimoires can't be burned."

"Wait, you said 'grimoire(S)'?"

"Yes, in this world, there are 103,000 grimoires. But fear not, as they are kept within different libraries and are sealed off from all. Only one person has managed to remember the contents of all 103,000 grimoires."

"Then isn't that person being constantly targeted?"

"Yes. That person is constantly being pursued because magicians want to find a way to access those grimoires. To put an end to the world. But translating the words is difficult and just one look can drive a person insane."

Stiyl bit down on his cigarette as an annoyed expression forms on his face. He spat out the cigarette and he continued.

"The letters, words and sentences written inside the grimoires convert to magic-like symbols by using energy leaking out from the ley lines as a power source, like an automatic magic circle. So the least we can do is seal it. Even the slightest bit of magical power can activate it. The magic power that the author puts in it is like a trigger, and when they pen down their words, they unconsciously add magic power into them. The materials and stationeries used does not matter, so long as they have a lifeforce, they can create magic."

Then he lit up another cigarette.

"But the person who remembered all the 103,000 grimoires can't use her lifeforce to create magic. I don't know the reason why."

Stiyl had a very sad look as he said that.

"*sigh* I'll help you. But don't get the wrong idea. I'm doing this to protect my interests. It has nothing to do with what you want."

—8th September 7:24p.m.—

Accelerator leaned against the wall with Ester resting her head on his shoulder. She was sleeping, and he watched as more of those nuns wearing a black habit started appearing.

Some went down the hole where Orsola was taken from, and some held a quill with red ink as they drew on their given maps.

Agnese was issuing orders to all the other nuns, pointing everywhere as she too wrote down things in her notebook.

"It's so noisy and chaotic out here...if I knew preparations had to be done overnight, I would have brought my charger. Going back into Academy City and coming back out is too much of a hassle. Even if I could fly over, I'd probably be caught by the cameras and they would do a search of the area." Accelerator thought as he continued watching the Roman Catholic Church do their work. Then, he received a call from Last Order. However, this time, he did not pick up. He hung up and immediately shut his phone down. He looked on as the nuns did their work.

The nuns also spoke in their local language, Italian.

After a few more minutes, she ran over to them with her thirty-centimeter thick soles tapping on the ground like a horse.

Agnese gazed into his red-pupils and he gazed back.

"What?"

"Er...umm...I-I would like to start explaining the situation to you guys. May I ask if you guys are prepared?"

"...You have a weird way of speaking Japanese."

"I-It makes me nervous to show my lousy Japanese i-in front of a Japanese person. So, if you know...erm...can you speak any other languages? Like Albanian or Berber..."

"*sigh* Just speak."

Her face flushed red as she spoke in a speedy manner.

"R-Right, I'm sorry. Let me get straight into business. We should discuss the current situation and the actions we're going to take later—ahhhhhhh!!!"

She lost her balance as she fell down. However, she fell down and landed herself in a very...rather awkward position.

"Ahn?—OOF!"

Accelerator was head butted as Agnese sat on top of him, one hand touching his crotch, and the other pressing on Ester's head against the wall.

Accelerator too got himself into a very awkward position as his right hand was underneath her, and his middle finger happened to be touching her camel toe.

Accelerator had no reaction and told her to,"Get off of me."

At the same time, Agnese gave a loud piercing scream and pulls herself back, only to be penetrated further by Accelerator's middle finger.

She immediately felt something rush over her as she pants hard, holding on to his shirt with both of her hands.

"Tch, get off of me!"

He tries to pull his finger out, but his hand was blocked by the asphalt as his fingers wriggled around.

"Wait...how old is she? Is she even supposed to get turned on from this? No, but she was acting like a leader, so her looks shouldn't reflect her age." Accelerator thought.

"Master, what are you doing?"

"Eek! Not you too..."

Ester looks a closer look at what was happening and she saw the hands of her master touching the place where no boys his age should be touching.

"M-Master...so it was true that you molested Himegi-sama?!"

"No! She just fell on top of me! Get her off of me."

"R-Right, master."

She pulls Agnese up, and she was surprisingly light. Ester holds onto Agnese with her arms.

Accelerator wiped his wet fingers on the wall behind him rather than wiping it on his clothes as he knew that that liquid, wasn't his sweat.

"Agnese, are you all right?" Ester asks her and she replies,"Y-Yeah...I just need to calm myself down..."

Agnese was still trembling terribly. Well, given the fact that she was put into such a terrible situation, she was probably not ready for it. Stiyl came by afterwards, though no one told him about what had ensued.

"F-From what we have gathered, we know that Orsola Aquinas and the Book of the Law is in their hands. We estimate that 50 people from the Amakusa Church are involved in this. There's a possibility that they might even be on the surface. We're tracking the movements of the Amakusa Church from their traces of magic, but the Amakusa Church specializes in stealth."

"So what? You're telling me that they can't be found?"

"Well, they'll be detected by our network if they try to bring the Book of the Law and Orsola Aquinas back to their base."

"Yeah, we have quite a lot of time to figure out where they are, given the fact that Orsola is strong willed. They'd have to break her spirit and her mentality in order to get the information out of her. She'd also have to analyze a thick book, which I doubt one can even complete in one full day." Stiyl commented.

"Then we'll just have to wait and see what your team finds huh?" Accelerator says.

"Yes, I hope we can find them soon enough. Anyway, that's all. You're all dismissed."

Agnese and Stiyl went their separate ways, but Ester stayed with Accelerator.

"You aren't going away?"

"There's nothing for me to do, master."

"Drop the 'master' already..."

"Oh...right...sorry, master."

"*sigh* I can't tell if you're doing it intentionally or not, but whatever. I give up."

Ester looks at him, as if she had something to say, and he noticed it. He looks at the starry night sky and asks her,"What is it? You've been holding something back since two days ago. What do you want to tell me?"

"...Well, actually...after all that we've just heard, do you think it's even possible to achieve peace in this city?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...one of those grimoires were stolen, and one person managed to decipher it. There are 103,000 of those grimoires. The chances of someone deciphering one of them would become higher, no?"

"..."

Accelerator didn't know how to respond to her as he kept his head up, looking at the starry sky. She did have a point. There are billions of people in this world, the chances of someone managing to decipher it would be higher.

Let's say there's about 5 billion people in the world, then there would be at 48540 chances to try and decipher the contents of the grimoire. Yeah, they'll probably die in the process, but how many of those people would be capable of handling it's contents?

The Amakusa Church is prepared to take in that power, and make it their own, or at least a bargaining chip. How big is the Amakusa Church?

He doesn't even know how many people there are in one of the big three churches. He just knows that they are all magicians.

"I'll make sure it lasts. I won't save the world, but I'll at least make sure that this peace will last."

Ester looks at him admirably and leans in closer to him, with her hand on his lap.

"I'm glad that I can put my faith in you, master."

"Tch, I don't recommend it."

Then, he sniffs the air...

"Hey..."

"Yes, master?"

"You haven't bathe yet, have you?"

"...Eh? Uhh...umm...what do you mean by that? D-Do I really smell that bad?" Her face becomes redder as he stares at her.

"...*sigh* Just go."

"R-Right!"

She quickly runs over to one of the nuns and asks them for a towel and the directions to the 'bath house'.

He sat there thinking about the future. How will he go from here? He had taken a step into foreign grounds. Now not only was he neck-deep into the dark side, but he was also entering a new world.

"Tch, I'm too relaxed right now."

He uses his cane to support himself up as he limps all the way to the hole which Orsola fell from.

"If they came from this way, there should be a way to track where they've gone. Technically speaking, they'd have to get out of the sewers. A few people carrying an unconscious person would seem weird. But maybe, they made this hole for a sneak attack rather than a kidnapping attempt. The nuns are busy doing whatever the hell they're doing, how will they react when someone attacks? Where are their weapons?"

Accelerator thought hard as he worried about his limitations right now. He knew that he probably had 5 minutes at most, to go full power. Well technically not full power, but to use whatever power was left in him to fight.

"Tch, this shit is so annoying..."

Then...

A loud crash could be heard, followed by a girl's scream.

He clicked his tongue as he went to the tent where he heard it from. The nuns were all too shocked by the sudden screaming that they all stood in place. Fortunately for him, he was close to the tent, so it did not take him long to open the zipper and open the tent.

When he got in, he was met with a hard, warm object hitting his stomach. When he looked down, he saw a naked Agnese clinging onto his waist as she uses one hand to point to the corner of the tent. She was speaking in the language that all the nuns were using just now.

"Oi, speak Japanese! I can't understand you!"

Then he looks at the corner of the tent, and sees...

A slug.

"...Seriously? A fucking slug?"

He looks up to see one more person he was familiar with.

There was a large golden basin in the middle of the tent, and above it, hanging from the roof, was a metal can. Attached to the bottom of the metal can was something that looked like a shower nozzle, and a tap above it. It was pouring out hot water for the person beneath it.

Within that golden basin in the middle of the tent stood Ester. Her previously pure white skin had turned slightly red due to the water as her breasts and flower were on full display.

"Oh, hi master! Would you like to join us?"

"No." He said with a bored expression on his face.

Agnese however, still had her eyes on the slug. She buried her face into his crotch and Accelerator pushes her head back, revealing her soft white skin and small breasts.

She opens her eyes, with tears welling up and when she realized who it was, she fainted.

"Ha?"

Accelerator then kneels down as he sets her down onto the asphalt. Then, Ester notices an expression on his face. One which was different from how he treated her.

"Master..." She muttered as she looked at Accelerator checking Agnese's pulse.

"She's fine. She's only unconscious. Her body temperature is also relatively moderate, with it being slightly high due to the hot water. I can feel it going down. She just overreacted that's all."

"..." Ester bit her lip as she watched Accelerator do his things.

Soon, a whole crowd of nuns stood behind him, and he was labeled as "a peeping tom—and even our superior is naked and has fainted beside him."

"*Sigh* The one time I start getting protective, this shit happens to me...What is this luck?"

He embraces every second of the next moment, accepting his 'certain death' fate.