Hands pressed against Last Order's skin, Accelerator attempted to interfere with the emergence of the black energy, his brow furrowed in clear frustration.
His efforts felt somewhat futile. He realized he couldn't prevent the energy's birth, but he could refract what had already appeared.
AIM diffusion fields were unconscious emissions from espers, detectable by other espers or machines, and could even be influenced.
But in truth, these fields didn't exist in reality; they were stored in different phases of the same world—likely the same place where that Kazakiri Hyouka girl had been.
Using an esper as an anchor made it easy to locate these fields within the phases, and vice versa. And based on the firsthand experience of a certain bun-haired girl, these fields could be released into reality, interacting with the real world.
When gathered on a large scale, they could affect reality.
So, the barrier between that phase and reality wasn't as solid as one might think. Kazakiri Hyouka still occasionally appeared in reality.
But before these fields manifested in reality, they were effectively nonexistent to most espers. Accelerator naturally couldn't casually influence something that didn't exist in reality.
However, once AIM fields broke through the barrier and truly appeared in reality, Accelerator gained the ability to interfere.
The extent of his interference depended on his understanding of this energy.
At that point, these aggregated fields would also adapt to the laws of reality, making them vulnerable to physical attacks.
For Accelerator, as long as it didn't completely defy his understanding, grasping this esper-based energy wasn't difficult. He just needed a little more time to analyze it.
"And it's the same for the other Sisters too."
Accelerator withdrew his hand, lifting his head to gaze at the safe house building.
This black energy also appeared on the Misaka Sisters inside the building.
The entire structure was tainted with this hue, and in Accelerator's vision, it continuously converged into the massive, formed black chains clustered in the sky.
"So this is what they're creating. I suddenly understand. Kihara Gensei's target must be the Third-Ranked. He wants to merge the Misaka Network with the Third Ranked. If I shatter the core of the AIM field before the Third-Ranked arrives, I'd really like to see the looks on their faces."
Accelerator grinned, his expression icy, with angry eyes glaring from beneath his white bangs.
In just a few dozen seconds, he had devised a solution, continuously analyzing the aggregated AIM diffusion field before him, refining his ability to apply it precisely, shifting refraction back to normal reflection.
Come to think of it, Accelerator had once studied vast amounts about AIM diffusion fields—starting at the Special Ability Institute, then at the Virtual Intelligence Research Institute, the Wisdom Institute, the Misty Woods Affiliated Research Institute, and others, step by step becoming the monster people called him.
From what he knew, any aggregate involving AIM fields would have a core.
But now, the AIM diffusion field of the Misaka Network was gathered from the fields of all the Sisters, and their fields were highly consistent.
It could be seen as an aggregate of fields, but also as a special electricity-generating esper. The form of the core might have changed because of this, but it most likely still existed.
Thinking this, Accelerator didn't hesitate much; he trusted his judgment.
Temporarily setting aside the unconscious Last Order, Accelerator's feet generated an upward reactive force, while several tornadoes timely appeared behind him, propelling him fiercely toward the black chains in the sky.
The distance to where the black energy converged was merely a hundred meters or so—a mere instant for Accelerator.
But at that moment, his figure suddenly stalled.
The tornado wings behind him were largely shredded, immediately suppressing his speed, leaving him barely hovering mid-air.
To his upper left, a figure in a Tokiwadai uniform blocked his path.
Congratulations, the tool character Natsume-san finally had her moment.
Without stabilizing the surrounding wind pressure, her tracksuit rustled loudly in the gusts.
Natsume-san's gaze was vacant, her bun swaying incessantly in the wind.
Her arms habitually raised slightly, as if retaining some of her usual mannerisms. Where her eyes fell, a formidable storm had formed, impossible to ignore.
Frenzied winds swirled counterclockwise around Natsume-san's body, stretching from the ground to nearly a hundred meters high, sweeping up countless dried branches and leaves from the surface.
Beneath her feet was a gentle updraft, but combined with the surrounding raging winds, it seemed as though she stood atop a natural disaster.
What would a fully unleashed Natsume-san look like? Probably a walking human-shaped calamity, though she usually restrained herself.
"Though I don't know how you obtained something far surpassing the Fifth-Ranked's Mental Out, controlling the Eighth-Ranked couldn't have been easy. Heh, seeing how frantic you are, perhaps you're worried I'll ruin your plans."
Accelerator's face showed his familiar villainous grin. Accompanied by sharp, screeching sounds, air involuntarily gathered around him.
In a face-off like this, dealing with the Eighth-Ranked required seizing control of the air immediately.
But since Kihara Gensei wasn't the Eighth-Ranked herself, the difficulty dropped significantly.
Moreover, Accelerator didn't even need to confront the Eighth-Ranked directly. At this distance, he could use the air to shred the core within the black chains.
But then, a sense of surprise rose within Accelerator. The person opposite him showed no intention of contesting air control, instead seeming only to assert their presence.
"Accelerator, I don't particularly care what you do. But I must say, I'm surprised. Someone like you actually has something you want to protect. Hands stained with blood, now trying to save others? A truly foolish endeavor."
'Natsume-san' spoke, her soft tone lacking any force, yet sounding oddly aged and out of place.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Whatever you're planning, it's about to fall apart."
Accelerator snarled, but his expression quickly turned uncertain.
The manipulated air swiftly shredded the black chains in the sky, but they reformed just as quickly, like pieces of a puzzle constantly destroyed and reassembled. Accelerator found nothing that could be the core.
"The Misaka Network isn't just confined to Academy City anymore. Finding a core is impossible."
"The experiment has already begun. If you don't forcibly interrupt Misaka Mikoto-san's evolution, once she reaches a certain level, not only will her consciousness be erased, but she might also devour the entire Misaka Network. By then, those mass-produced clones might never wake up. So, go ahead, give it your all to stop it."
Her eyes still vacant, 'Natsume-san' spoke meaningfully, unconcerned about Accelerator's actions.
However, 'Natsume-san's' head tilted slightly, gazing at a building about a hundred meters away. A certain Railgun preferred taking unconventional routes, running along building walls.
As Misaka Mikoto-san approached the safe house building, her AIM diffusion field unconsciously resonated with the Misaka Network in the sky. Before she could even react, endless black chains surged madly toward her.
The black chains instantly vanished, and light returned to the sky, as if all had entered Misaka-senpai's body.
After barely a second of quiet, countless lightning strikes filled the sky, followed by a dazzling blue electric glow.
The radiant light spread outward in a cylindrical form, forcibly disabling all electronic products within several hundred meters—probably including the smartphone in a certain bun-haired girl's pocket.
Misaka-senpai, suddenly connected to the Misaka Network, seemed unable to control her brain momentarily, resulting in abnormal, large-scale electrical discharges.
"It's Misaka-senpai! That bastard wants to turn her into a Level 6 right now!"
In her observer state, the real Natsume-san couldn't stay calm, seething with rage.
She desperately tried to reclaim control of her body, to drive out that detestable old man, but failed every time.
Though becoming a Level 6 sounded impressive, it wasn't a good thing for most people. Just as Kihara Gensei said, once Misaka-senpai evolved to a certain point, her will would vanish.
"I can't do anything."
Failing yet again in her observer state, a hint of indescribable panic flickered in Natsume-san's thoughts.
If she could control her tear ducts, Natsume-san would have felt the urge to cry for the first time.
She never cried, but now she was terrified that Misaka-senpai might die in this experiment, and she was powerless to stop it.
Whether it was that Kamijou Touma-senpai or that annoying white-haired guy—anyone would do.
As long as someone could save Misaka-senpai, she wasn't as worried about her own situation.
Natsume-san could somewhat understand the feeling of despair, the hope for rescue.
"...There must be a chance. Kihara Gensei can't maintain perfect control every single moment."
Natsume-san encouraged herself, rallying her spirits.
If she found a moment when Kihara Gensei slipped, she might break free from the mental control through her brain's activity.
Ordinary commands couldn't control a Level 5; their brains would quickly break through such restrictions.
Only Kihara Gensei's continuous, precise control, adapting to various changes, could keep up with Natsume Sonoko's brain activity.
But in her observer state, Natsume-san suddenly grew quiet.
Her gaze became distant, trance-like.
She seemed to see her own soul—a mysterious silhouette identical to herself.
She realized that, even after losing control of her brain, her thoughts could still enter the soul world normally.
And, temporarily freed from the interference of brain hormones and superficial distractions, Natsume-san's perception of her soul had become even more acute.
--+--
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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.