For Shokuhou Misaki, the Exterior was merely a useful ability amplification device—largely because their powers shared the same origin.
For other espers or non-espers, however, having an account on the Exterior meant that within its operational range, one could intensively utilize Mental Out without possessing the corresponding Personal Reality.
That said, there was a vast difference between registering a legitimate account and hijacking someone else's via the Level Upper.
At the very least, in the current situation, Kihara Gensei had to constantly endure the massive side effects brought on by the Level Upper.
With an account of one's own, the strain on the brain would remain within acceptable limits. More importantly, only under such conditions could more of the Exterior's power be unleashed.
"The restriction override code is correct. The Exterior can now register accounts."
"It's been quite the effort, really. To keep the Fifth from noticing the Exterior had been seized, I held back until the very moment of action before completely transferring control."
Kihara Gensei's skin was sallow and sagging, his aged face seeming to have seen through all the world's affairs. Yet his calm tone carried a hint of indescribable fervor.
"As for the locations of those mass-produced espers, I've already uncovered them. The Fifth and Heaven Canceller went to great lengths to hide them, but I've no patience for a prolonged game of hide-and-seek. Capturing the Fifth and extracting her memories was more than enough."
A satisfied smile surfaced on Kihara Gensei's lips.
Shokuhou Misaki believed her movements were covert, but from the very beginning, Kihara Gensei had set his sights on her, planning to seize her Exterior. It was no wonder she hadn't detected the problem.
Once the Fifth was successfully captured, many issues would cease to be problems. That was precisely why they targeted Shokuhou Misaki first.
"Finally, some good news. Though I've got a headache now—that monster, the First, has gotten involved in this affair. It's a completely unforeseen complication."
The metal doll beside him let out a sigh, its imposing aura seeming to weaken slightly. No matter how confident she was, she wasn't arrogant enough to believe she could confront the First head-on.
The several espers from Tokiwadai were still within their contingency plans, but Accelerator… Could a monster like that truly be defeated?
Ah, that's right—it seemed someone had already succeeded once.
"Accelerator, if it's him… Ha ha ha ha! Isn't that even better?"
Kihara Gensei, with his hands clasped behind his back, seemed unable to contain himself any longer, his face revealing extreme delight.
His tightly shut eyes cracked open slightly, revealing pupils unlike any ordinary person's—they gleamed with an eerie metallic luster.
This joy had nothing to do with worldly fame or profit, nor his own safety.
It was simply an intense craving for certain outcomes, a willingness to pay any price to achieve them—the very picture of a mad scientist.
In Kihara Gensei's view, the purpose of science was to forcibly guide human evolution.
And pioneers like him had to drive the feeble sheep toward that new horizon.
All his actions were aimed at reaching the true pinnacle of espers: the Level 6, an Absolute Ability who, with a human body, could glimpse the will of the gods.
"Hey, you're not thinking of changing targets now, are you? I won't agree to that."
Though well aware of the man's truly sinister nature, Kouzaku Mitori voiced her objection without hesitation.
After all, this was the same person who'd dared to launch a terrorist attack on that 'windowless building'—and ended up in the juvenile correctional facility for it.
Their real target this time wasn't Shokuhou Misaki or the Exterior, nor was it the Misaka Network. It was the Third—Misaka Mikoto.
"Heh, rest assured on that point. Although Accelerator could steadily reach that level, he ultimately isn't the optimal candidate for this experiment. Besides, I'm not so petty as to revive an already abandoned plan."
Kihara Gensei spoke with his head lowered, his tone unusually earnest.
Even if he wanted to forcibly evolve Accelerator, using such a crude method would be too wasteful—like buying a bottle of soda with a diamond.
In contrast, the Third's value matched the expected output of this experiment perfectly; she was like a coin of the right denomination for the vending machine.
In other words, using Accelerator for this experiment was a bad deal.
Moreover, back when the Tree Diagram was still operational, it had calculated all feasible paths and naturally dismissed this possibility—it was impossible to elevate the higher-potential Accelerator to Level 6.
On top of that, these designs targeting Misaka Mikoto would most likely not work on Accelerator.
Truth be told, Kihara Gensei didn't actually expect the Third to achieve Level 6. He was merely recording experimental data, just like in countless failed experiments before—only this time, his target was Misaka Mikoto.
"Accelerator's overwhelming combat power, combined with the Eighth—whose hidden power even the Board Chairman seems wary of—if they clash with an evolving Misaka Mikoto, they're bound to unleash more of the Absolute Ability's unknown potential. This is an unprecedented observation opportunity. We must mobilize all equipment and personnel to monitor it."
"Barring any mishaps, we might even have interference from Kamijou Touma. This time, the gains could be immense beyond comparison."
His lips split into a grin, revealing a set of stark white teeth. Muttering to himself like a madman lost in delirium, Kihara Gensei trembled all over.
To witness the birth of an Absolute Ability up close, with so many trial subjects in the mix—such a chance was truly once in a lifetime.
"No wonder you're so thrilled. But right now, the Misaka Network is what matters most. Whatever role Accelerator plays in your experiment, he's currently standing between the clones and us. If we want to access the Misaka Network, we need to implant the virus in the clones first—and that likely means facing him directly."
Kouzaku Mitori spoke impatiently, the metal doll mimicking her expression.
In her heart burned a raging fire, filled with fury and resentment toward this city.
Kihara Gensei might be in it for the Absolute Ability experimental data, but she wasn't. She was here for revenge—even if it meant destroying Academy City itself.
Her cooperation with Kihara Gensei was more like a transaction of mutual convenience.
"You probably don't fully understand the Exterior's functions. Once we have the specific locations of those mass-produced espers, the rest will fall into place naturally."
Kihara Gensei shook his head, slowly pulling a remote control from his pocket as he spoke with deliberate calm.
He didn't believe Accelerator could stop him.
To refine his ability, he had chosen an approach similar to Shokuhou Misaki's—though he only needed one or two psychic abilities.
From within a suitable range, without directly confronting Accelerator or Natsume Sonoko, he could remotely inject his custom virus into a specific Misaka clone.
Through that virus, he would then indirectly seize control of the entire Misaka Network.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.