"—"

Accelerator exhales lightly and changes his mind.

"Roll out."

"Y... you're still not letting me go—a gack!?"

"Live or die, your choice!"

As Accelerator lightly shakes the steel weapon skewered onto the back of the seat, the minivan quietly departs.

After Accelerator goes on for five more minutes, he makes the van stop in front of a small park.

They're in the vicinity of the Seventh School District.

Just ahead, a traffic signboard for the neighboring Fifth School District is standing.

He grabs a large bag that tumbled along at the rear seat floor, and places it beside on his own seat. This is probably spare equipment for the [Hound Dogs]. Looking similar to a body bag made of synthetic leather, the bag measures more than a meter long.

Zipping it open and looking inside, he finds killing weaponry scattered inside.

A small palm-sized handgun, a sub-machine gun that could be hidden into an encyclopedia case, and a mop-length indoor suppression shotgun. Besides these, clay-like explosives and fuses, wireless radios, and face-covering masks are stuffed inside.

First and foremost, what he is searching for is a,

(A substitute for a cane...)

His always-used T-shaped cane was knocked out from him during his rampage with Kihara. Supporting his body with a cane is important outside ESPer mode. Before he can even move, that's the firstmost important thing.

Accelerator roughly scans the bag's contents and,

"As I thought, this shotgun should do."

He randomly takes one from inside.

It is black-luster metal-made, semi-automatic shotgun. The parts from below the muzzle until 10cm before the trigger are probably the magazines on sideways. Looks like 30 rounds had been inserted. He thinks it uses the same loading mechanisms from some sub-machine gun.

The shotgun itself carries a body length of nearly a meter, also the rear stock has been constructed to allow expansion and contraction at one's preference. On top a scope had been installed, but peeking through there's no change in magnification; turning on a switch, he sees a luminous red dot in the middle. Probably a dot-sight. He thinks it's for more accurate aiming than that of normal.

(For this loud, shell-scattering shotgun, is there a significance for this kind of more accurate sights?)

An amazed Accelerator insults the dot-sight, but that is not the problem.

Grabbing onto the shotgun grip, and inserting the stock onto his side, it barely looks like a crutch.

(The gun barrel might be bent from my own weight, but at least this isn't meant for firing. It'll do as a walking support to the end.)

A voice starts from the driver's seat and reaches Accelerator's ears, who is thinking of various things.

"It's useless..."

It's a cracked voice.

The man's strength is ebbing away, as if he hasn't drank water for how many days.

"When you meet that person directly, you will understand. Kihara-san is [Absolute]. You, you who had had lost your touch from that peace-loving, you're no opponent who could go with him with your pretensions."

"—You, *you wanna play?*"

"Th, that might be fine, you know."

The man's voice is contrary to Accelerator's expectation.

"I don't wanna die. B, but then, even I know of Kihara-san's terror. Better that we'll never find out. I, I'll never see the next sunrise again. That person has no mercy. No mercy, no allowance. I will not be helped. If I'm unlucky, p, *perhaps he'll not have me killed*. Th, that Kihara-san, whether to break Guinness records or to add one more world-wide major incident, is one person who manages to do them without qualms..."

"The hell, you're yapping, noisy bastard,"

Accelerator interrupts in a disgusted voice.

Grabbing with his five fingers the steel weapon skewered into the driver's seat,

"Or perhaps I should say you're a too much of a bother. Kill me: you don't have to say it vaguely. Guess what, I'll churn and mess up your bowels! I'll make you vomit from your mouth your day's lunch along with clots of blood, you shitty bastard!!"

"Hi, Hiiiiiiiii!!"

With the loud voice coming out near his ears, the man's bluff is easily defeated.

With just a shout close to his ears, the man's bluff was simply destroyed.

The gibberish of the man who does not actually feel [death], it's the only worth for this degree.

The driver screams as his eyeballs shake irregularly.

"Shit, you son of a bitch!! Cut it out! I don't wanna die here!! You bitches are both monsters alike! I don't wanna be involved with this again!! I'm going back home, take a shower, and scan recorded programs while drinking alcohol!"

What only remains are hideous hopes.

Without even discerning his own situation, it turns out that he's poking his own head into a dispute between two big game like this.

Accelerator, sitting behind the driver's seat, calmly raises his voice at the rattling and shaking [Hound Dog].

"You hate dying?"

"Y, yeah."

"You wanna live as is?"

"Yeah!! So what are you doing!! I wanna live also! Stuff like 'you'd better die' is not how one lives! I wanna live a proper, normal life with my dignity! Isn't it crazy!? Aren't I the most idiotic of all!? The hell you're talking about, that sort is probably not a problem!!"

This person is probably being driven to the wall until the last moment.

Unless this happens, the talk which had emerged thus far wouldn't have come out.

"You did not understand it well."

A mouth-rending smile floats on Accelerator's face.

The driver, having confirmed that on his rear-view mirror, *hii* gulps in air.

"You think there's a remaining way out for you now? Living in this kind of world, you trampling people with impunity, and to top it off, piss off both me and that bastard Kihara, you still wanna live happily? Don't spout off such bullshit, you idiot."

"Uh, uwaahhh..."

"Shitty bastard. How many you've killed until now?"

"...F, fourteen."

In a voice that sounds like it's being squeezed out.

But Accelerator, upon hearing that, seems to instinctively lose his momentum.

What's with that count?

If that's the case, will that make one less of a man of peace than even himself.

Is the me, who's thinking about that and [man of peace], not quite the monster?

"Choose! You die here from too much blood loss, or get turned into an laughably inevitable corpse by Kihara Amata's hand." (!)

"N, no! I don't wanna die! I definitely don't wanna die!"

"Sigh. So it's the hospital then."

The Level 5 continues while smiling.

"You're not going to die. You're not going to die that easy. I'm not allowing that to happen. You think I would easily let go of shitty bastards who are not happy even if they kill 100 times? I'm so gonna prolong your suffering. You're going to continue to live forever on the road with no relief just to relieve myself of my own stress."

"Shiit..."

Even though it was said that he's going to be treated, the man gnashes his teeth and grumbles.

"I'm so dead. Kihara-san will follow me to the ends of the earth. No one can save me now..."

"The shitty doctor I know isn't probably the kind of person to at least abandon his own patients even against that. Isn't that a tear-inducing story? Well, think you can live even for a day?"

"Y, you have nothing assured."

"Is-that-so? Then for the meantime I'll probably be gouging out Kihara's heart."

The man goes silent for a bit. He's thinking that if Kihara is really killed by Accelerator, then perhaps he might be saved.

And then he says,

"In any case, we're no match for Kihara-san."

"Could be, somehow for me and impossible for you."

Is there other useful stuff aside from the shotgun? Accelerator, rummaging and looking inside the synthetic leather bag that looks like a body bag, finds a certain equipment.

Its shape looks like a silenced handgun, but at the muzzle a sponge-shaped sensor that looks like a mic was installed. And a small 3-inch LCD monitor is mounted on where the hammer of the handgun is.

"...That, that's a scent sensor,"

The [Hound Dog] answers, confirming through the rear mirror.

"That thing used by perfume and deodorant industries was diverted to military use..."

"In short, mechanization of police dogs?"

It's probably smarter than dogs. To be able to create data from sensory information means to be able pick out only the important stuff from among the several odors and register it to memory.

Though scent is classified into several categories, each genre possess a molecular structure similar with the others. It's more likely that they should be approaching from there.

"We would always use that to follow our target's footprints. It's fast and yet reliable. We would always find the person who's on Kihara's eye and was on the run..."

"——"

Accelerator turns his face into a seemingly bored-looking one.

He has no objections in smashing up the [Hound Dogs], but he always did not like the [surprise attack from the opponent] pattern. He has better come up with a [surprise attack to the opponent] pattern.

"It's useless even to use vehicles. They'll follow the scent of tires and find this minivan, and it's over should they follow your scent. We continue following our target until we stab it on the back. Even you will be found shortly!"

Accelerator tinkers with the scent sensor while listening to the man's voice.

"How do you use this? This might come in handy in searching for that brat."

"...It's impossible."

The man merely laughs. A pale, dried laugh.

"[Hound Dog] has a cleaning agent to negate the scent sensor. It interferes against the molecular structure of scent. Nothing can be captured when we use it at an attack site..."

According to the man, it appears there are two kinds of cleaning agents: one is affixed onto the members' uniforms, the other is scattered behind onto the actual scene.

"And you guys carry those cleaning agents?"

"If we have, it would already been used. Following footprints and erasing footprints are our specializations..."

Tch, Accelerator tut-tuts.

But then, the catch here is the realization that there are materials that can throw a scent sensor off.

Throwing the scent sensor to some spot, Accelerator says,

"...I have nothing more to hear from you. You, don't move."

"Hii!?"

The driver lets out a stiff voice on sensing a *crawl* wriggly feeling at the back seat.

I knew it, I'll be killed!

The man thinks so, but contrary to his expectation, Accelerator moves towards the doorless entrance. It appears he's heading outside.

"W, where are you going?"

"Hmm? To crush Kihara and save that brat!"

The man is dumbstruck at his seemingly troublesome reply.

"Why, why aren't you giving up!? No matter where you go, Kihara-san will come to crush you with a smile! There no spare time for stuff like battle preparations. The initiative is totally taken by the opposing side. You're willing to do it even with that situation!?"

"Of course."

"...What's your grounds when you can answer promptly! You're immersing yourself in someone else's world; did you realize how much you're at a disadvantage yourself?"

"The hell if I know."

Accelerator spits out.

He set his hands onto the doorless rear-seat entrance, so he can contact the frog-faced doctor,

"I could have gone dull with this peace-loving madness."

Part 6

The decision is swift.

Kamijou, thinking it's useless to even hide, lifts up Last Order's tiny body and carries her with his arms, and rushes out crouching from the vehicle's other side.

The vehicle is parked illegally onto the footpath edge.

The entrance to the nearest alley is only about 5 meters.

*But then,*

*Pop!*

The destructive sound similar to the sound of light silk being pierced by iron pipes echoes.

Several sub-machine guns are simultaneously being fired.

It's on high-speed rapid fire where he can't figure out how many rounds fire in a second. So far, the vehicle's glass shatters, its hood bending like being trampled on, its steel door getting tattered due to numerous holes being punched open. The car interior is shredded, cotton flying about inside the car.

Destruction occurs in an instant, with all those sounds coming together into one explosive sound.

Nevertheless Kamijou heads for the alley entrance.

Bullet trails pursue after Kamijou's escape route.

Just in front of his very eyes, a bullet flies into a concrete wall at face level. Attacked at his direction, even though Kamijou flinches and stops, he intends to handle it like how he handles beehives. Instinctively his head lowers, his body barely moves. Tiny broken concrete pieces graze by Kamijou's hair.

Almost tumbling, Kamijou jumps into the back alley, looking as if falling flat onto the wet ground.

"Are you all right, Last Order!?"

As he asks, the tiny girl in Kamijou's arms silently nodds many times.

They can hear a metal-twisting *clatter* *clatter*. The sound of the black-clads' equipment. Kamijou tut-tuts, then carries Last Order's body again, and starts running into the heart of the back alleys.

He wants a place to hide.

The affinity of the Imagine Breaker in his right hand is really too bad. It gives him a means of escape for tricky irregular opponents like sorcery and ESP, but it really has no chance for those guys' guns. Even if he fights dirty, him turning into a torn and scrapped rag would be the outcome.

"Last Order, you controlled the Sisters, can you also control electrical power?"

"'Yeah, but I can only use it equal to that of Level 3,' says Misaka as Misaka answers."

"Then you can open electronic locks. We're entering some building through the back door. Perhaps this alley isn't that long, you know. There's even the possibility of an ambush at the exit."

Understood, she replies.

Kamijou stops in front of a nearby door in the back alley, and lowers Last Order beside it.

"Okay."

Last Order brings out a mobile phone from the chest pocket of her dress shirt, and turns it off. Somehow it appears to be a hindrance to concentration when using electricity-type abilities. She then points her tiny palm horizontally onto the installed card slot and closes her eyes.

*Clatter* *clatter* They can hear black-clads' metallic sound.

Whether they're near or far, they can't sense the distance. Since the alleyways are not straight but weave back and forth, they wouldn't be suddenly mowed down from the exits and entrances; even so, with a situation where he can't find out whether he's overtaken or not, continuing to fixedly wait for something is giving him more pressure beyond imagination.

(Not yet...?)

Kamijou waits, his ears bent towards the darkness, only towards the overlapping sounds of footsteps.

(Dammit, aren't you through?)

No way, the strange effects aren't coming out due to the Imagine Breaker! Just as Kamijou is getting worried,

"'Got it!' says Misaka as Misaka opens her eyes!"

A high-pitched *beep* electronic sound rings.

Kamijou has his hand onto the knob of the iron door, and turns it.

The lock has been released. Just like that he carries Last Order and breaks into inside of the building.

There are no indoor lights.

It appears to be the kitchen for a family restaurant. Emergency exits are prepared as it is a place where fire is handled. They think that it's still business hours, but the light fading out is a bit ominous. The green lamp indicating the emergency exit only lets the silhouettes of cookware float dimly.

"'What are we going to do from here?' says Misaka as Misaka tries to ask."

"I wonder..."

Kamijou lowers Last Order to the floor, then turns his eyes towards the door before him. At any rate, they want to go where there is light, and people.

"Those guys have a vehicle. It's likely that we'll be overtaken if we run for it. There are no trains or buses at this time, and I don't think we can get away even if we manage to catch a novice taxi driver."

Last Order looks up at him with worried-looking eyes.

I want to throw away everything, but I can't show this kind of disgraceful behavior, Kamijou thinks.

"Anyhow, let's head for a place where there are people. Those black-clads wouldn't want to cause chaos there. So they only follow us. They should have their priorities backwards if they start a massacre there."

"'Is it possible to really help that person with this?' says Misaka as Misaka laments at her own lack of power."

"I dunno. But we absolutely cannot give help until we survive. First, we mustn't get killed if we are to save that person. I don't think that person wouldn't be pleased by our deaths."

"'...Okay,' says Misaka as Misaka nods."

"Good, then we will live."

That's a very outrageous line for me, thinks Kamijou as he opens the door in front of him while smiling wryly.

That place is probably the main floor where guests consume the cooking. Flooded with lights of white fluorescent lamps, the cable broadcast is playing an out-of-place cheerful music. On the wall-covering big-screen TV, a CM is being projected. The fatty smell peculiar to the retort packs sticks to their noses.

But then,

"...*Even here!?*"

Kamijou Touma instinctively groans.

There are many guests inside the store. Like men and women who look like couples and men who look like faculty with their work over. There are waitresses with pretty uniforms at the thin passageway between tables. On the counter is a male shop assistant who's a bit older.

All of them are down.

As in let down, completely exhausted, and without any injury.

There are no signs of panic inside the store. There are some spoons and forks that fell onto the floor, but perhaps they must have ended there at the same time the guests fell prostrate onto the table. Everyone inside collapsed, not even one of them understanding it... That is the impression at the spectacle.

Just like the downed Anti-Skills near the entrance of the underground shopping complex, there are also people collapsing, as if asleep, here, too. On the other hand, there are people lying on the floor, stiff as stone statues. Looking at its entirety, they are divided into several groups.

The kitchen's state is also strange; however, a problem could have arisen on the other side.

In any case, this does not fulfill Kamijou's [place where there are people].

With everyone losing consciousness, it's quite the same as if nobody is witnessing it.

(How did this happen?)

Kamijou is instinctively about to be amazed.

(They collapsed, maybe just like some of those black-clads. In other words, this isn't the black-clads' doing! The fact is that this is not the only problem!)

"Last Order, let's just get out—!"

Kamijou, stopping mid-sentence, pulls in Last Order and rolls down to the floor.

*BAM!!*

The windows facing the main street are smashed into very small pieces. They hold on for several seconds, aware that someone is firing from the main road into the store interior. The fired rounds even hit the cable TV tuner, rendering the speakers silent all at once. The TV is smashed up, and sparks are scattered about.

On seeing the small glass shards raining incessantly onto the guests lying down onto the tables and floor, Kamijou's rage flares up. Luckily the bullets don't hit them, but that is not the problem.

(Shit, they don't care even with the ordinary people around them!!)

Someone slowly enters into the main floor, stepping onto the broken glass shards.

Kamijou picks up a nearby fork that had fallen onto the floor.

It's so weak it's laughable.

On top of that, this time the floor's lights are abruptly fading. The door where Kamijou and Last Order entered opens, making a soft *creak* sound. From there about three more black-clads join in, moving noiselessly like cockroaches.

The only thing guarding Kamijou and Last Order is a large square pillar in the middle of the floor.

There's hardly any blind spots for them against the black-clads in slow search of their target from both directions.

Kamijou, dimly shining fork in hand, leans it back towards the pillar.

Suddenly he looks up.

An air hole directly above him was opened; the bullets hitting through the window must have hit it.

(Piercing? This pillar can't be a shield...!!)

The muscles of a surprised Kamijou stiffens more than that is needed.

Unhurried, the footsteps that seem to suppress as much vibration as possible, narrow down little by little the siege nets.

Part 7

Accelerator considers using his mobile phone, but instead he goes walking for a bit and calls from a pay phone. By some chance Kihara and his group might be using wire-tapping equipment to pry his number from the phone lines.

Entering what it feels to be a somewhat corrupted and completely unused-for-years pay phone box, first he calls for an ambulance by pressing the red emergency button. Even if these parts are probably not designated under its jurisdiction, it should be going for the frog-faced doctor's place.

After dropping in the few remaining coins, he picks up the receiver again. He one-by-one pushes the digits of the pay phone while deliberately checking the mobile phone number.

The mobile phone number is Last Order's.

"..."

But there are no signs of the other party answering. The announcement replying back to Accelerator, who's silently holding the receiver, means that either the mobile phone isn't switched on, or the phone is probably out of the coverage area.

He puts back the receiver.

(…Well, **it's just as I expected.**)

If she escaped into a narrow place, it's plain that the signal won't reach her, and what's more it's possible that she could be wary of ring-tones or vibrations sounding nearby.

The worst possibilities flash through his head, but Accelerator goes to execute what he himself should do next.

Again dropping in coins, this time he dials a different set of numbers.

The ringing sound continues for a while.

An elderly female nurse answers after it. Accelerator instructs her to get the frog-faced doctor.

The doctor takes over at once.

["What kind of business do you have at this time?"]

"Trouble came up. A big one."

["Did you listen for the general situation from the Misaka Sisters for once? Information exchange is probably done through the girls' electrical network, you know."]

I know, they have that aside from telephones, Accelerator agrees.

But for him who's only borrowing a substitute operation, it means he's unable to utilize the network.

"So the story is out. Give me the info they knew so far. What happened to that brat?"

["It appears that up to now she's being followed by a [Hound Dog] squad, you know. She's on the run together with an ordinary person who's totally there by chance. It appears that she's still not captured...but to tell you frankly, it looks like it's only a matter of time."]

Looks like Last Order appealed for help at the neighborhood after being separated from Kihara. The problem is that the appealed has none of the expected ability.

Accelerator tut-tuts.

"Location?"

["She herself appears to be uncaught. However, it appears that she is in some family restaurant, right?"]

He thinks for a bit; as expected, identifying a specific place with just that is impossible.

Even the Sisters should be out in search for Last Order, the frog-faced doctor adds. Of course the problem is that the ten of them present in Academy City are currently undergoing bodily adjustments; it will be a while before they would be allowed to walk in the rain.

It's annoying, but now it's up to him to complete the work itself.

"Has the brat with the white habit arrived there?"

["She's now in the waiting area. How did she know those substitute operation matters?"]

"None of your business."

["...Perhaps you're in a state that you really need a new battery?"]

"That ain't it."

Accelerator continues to spit out,

"Later, watch over the brat that's been screaming about that battery. It's possible that for the next twenty-four hours her life could be on someone's cross-sights. Don't take your eyes off her."

["Yare yare. Is it a problem that you can't leave to the Anti-skills?"]

"What can those pacifist teachers do? The enemies' levels are different! If they don't want the body count to go up, they'll just simply have to change their mind-sets."

["…Ah, that. Don't tell me, it has come to a difficult situation where one protects the lives of others who are non-patients, right?"]

"If so, include the patients too. In a short while, a man stabbed in the back will arrive. If you treat him adequately, get ready for an attack. How's your battle strength there?"

["Battle strength...not that very dangerous topic, right?"]

The frog-faced doctor is, as one would expect, taken aback, but Accelerator never messes around.

For time is of the essence.

"You've managed to grasp the situation at hand through those clones' network, right? In that case, I should know that you'll not be saying sweet words. Now spit it out fast. You hesitate and the death rate will spike up depending on how much you hesitate!"

["Good grief, you're just like that lad too, having a penchant for injuries and hospitalization, no?"]

A sigh is heard from the other end of the phone receiver.

After some silence, the frog-faced doctor answers,

["There are about 10 of the Sisters undergoing adjustments. Do you think that the weapons used in the [Experiment], the Metal Eater MX anti-tank rifles and F2000R [Toy Soldier], will be suitable for them afterward?"]

Accelerator thinks for a bit,

And then shakes his head.

"With that extent they'll be eaten up completely. In the first place, the clones in their present state have no battle strength. It's flawless but probably futile. Can you evacuate all the staff and patients in your hospital?"

["Me leave my post, you say? Do you know just how many beds are in this hospital?"]

"About three hundred."

["Seven hundred,"] the frog-faced doctor answers promptly. ["Newborns, the critically ill, and the physically restrained number fifty-two, you know? It may be safe to say that there are no patients undergoing surgery, but even I can realize how unreasonable is this large-scale movement."]

"...."

["What will you do when I'm out and an emergency case pops up? That problem exists too, you know."]

At the frog-faced doctor's words, Accelerator can not think of a poor excuse and appreciation.

He has no time for that.

"Can you do it?"

["Probably,"]

A quick reply comes back to his question.

Frog-face's tone changes from his habitual aloof one towards a completely different one.

["Using a warning flare, this would be viewed that a fire has broken out. If this is linked to some terrorist act, this would probably be a good justification for forcibly evacuating everyone, you know. There are patients that have to be restrained for safety's sake, but guarding them is my duty. I'm willing to do it by all means."]

"So you probably really can't do what I've demanded myself?"

["I've told you 'I'll do it'. You yourself haven't thought of talk that skillfully changes like this? There are several plans even in emergency case matters. Various plans like distributing them in other hospitals, right? Otherwise I wouldn't have nodded."]

"…Sorry."

["Well, you people using me in conflicts is honestly annoying, but I treat all patients equally. I pull out all the stops when I say I'll protect the patients being transported."]

An ambulance's siren passes through.

Perhaps that [Hound Dog] person was already loaded into the ambulance and is being brought to the hospital.

As Accelerator listens to the siren, the frog-faced doctor suddenly says,

["And up to what lengths do you intend to do about it?"]

"Kill Kihara. Crush [Hound Dog]. And then recover that brat uninjured."

["That's impossible!"]

An immediate reply, too.

Accelerator frowns at the all-too-frank cool-headed voice which is unsuited for the frog-faced doctor.

["Given your constrained condition, you have too many objectives in your arms. And so you absolutely cannot achieve them all. How many have you managed considering you have goals to aim at while taking side trips here and there?"]

"…When did the doctor start spewing out nonsense as lip service? You from that world, don't talk as if you know of the darkness!"

["Are you saying there is a misunderstanding?"]

The frog-faced doctor is unperturbed.

He continues with the plain truth for Accelerator,

["**I have seen hells far worse than yours.** Do not take lightly a doctor's business. I believe perhaps I've seen more blood and tears than you have. It's unavoidable for tragedies, you know. I was called the [Heaven Canceler]. That's about the gist of it, in a few words. Our differences are simple. You who had stayed there, you can go back respectably. That's the only difference,"]

The doctor opens up for a bit.

And then he continues,

["I'll tell you some advice as a senpai[2] who knows the darkness as well as you do. Whittle down your objectives to just one. Kill Kihara? Crush [Hound Dog]? You can deal with those boring pursuits later. You should have one that should be done right here and now. Can you realize that now?"]

"As expected from a doctor that prefers human life. But then, saving that brat uninjured and smashing down Kihara and his gang is one and the same. Omitting either of them—"

["That's not true."]

"Hah?"

["Rescue Last Order uninjured? Are you saying such a thing that you cannot do as of yet?"]

[——]

Accelerator's blood freezes.

Just who is this person on the other side of the phone?

["I've said this a while ago. I've heard the direct story from the Sisters who were exchanging information via the Misaka Network. I intend to some degree to understand your circumstances. With that in mind, what do you say?"]

The frog-faced doctor says this with a slow, yet powerful voice.

As if he's sermonizing someone.

["Take a hard look at reality. Would you realize that you cannot do that by the time you're groveling clumsily? Listen, you're losing even at the best of circumstances. Towards an opponent where even victory is difficult, what will it amount to even when it is matched furthermore by a hope with such a dream? Compromise, Accelerator. Last Order is already beyond rescuing uninjured. No matter how lofty you've prepared, she'll definitely get injured."]

The mood turns into something like a blow that was driven in from a psychological blind spot.

While unconsciously, that much indicates it had relied on this doctor.

"…Shithead. Can't you see me saying that since I don't wanna admit that, I'll kill Kihara even if I have to crawl on mud?"

["I don't know. Were everything had turned out well as expected, I wouldn't be a doctor in the first place. I'd have shut myself up in a mountain and meditate for 365 days. But because that way I couldn't save a person physically I became a doctor. I'll say it plainly. Your assertion is nothing but egoism of a child who has ignored the possibilities."]

"Then what should I do? Thanks to that shitty bastard Kihara, I saw that brat in tatters; is it a happy-end if I say 'Good, good' with a sweet smiling face?"

["That's right. There are doctors for that reason."]

Even when excited, Frog-face remains unperturbed.

Smoothly, he fluently continues with his words,

["Broken arms, flayed skin, damaged internal organs: if you bring her before me alive I'll certainly cure her. I'll save your important person in perfect shape, mental care included and without leaving lifelong scars. Doctors are there to answer those expectations. So Accelerator, you must place absolute importance only to saving Last Order's [life], without the unnecessary and futile aiming for the stars. That's the most important one. That's the only thing that a novice's skill like mine cannot recover, right? If it were different, I would have tried to say right here, right now something more important than that child's life."]

No, he cannot think of anything.

At this situation, due to the adults' circumstances, a child is going to be deprived of its life.

And now,

He totally understood his own situation. He knows for sure that panicking or shouting will get him nowhere. He'll be fighting earnestly as a [doctor].

["Kihara? [Hound Dog]? Quickly finish such a trifling skirmish. And please quickly send Last Order to me and let me start the decisive battle."]

Later, Accelerator is taught where to hide himself should the doctor be temporarily out of the hospital. This is for the case when Last Order is recovered.

He puts back the receiver,

And leans back onto the glass door of the pay phone.

(…Beyond rescuing uninjured. No matter how lofty you've prepared, that brat's going to certainly get injured.)

Accelerator once breathes in, and out.

[Hound Dog] is using a scent sensor. He himself would have of course used it in looking for Last Order. Even at the best of circumstances when she's in a dilemma, the devil's hand is more and more stretching out at an increasing rate.

There's no room for error.

So he's preparing himself.

"Bring it on..."

A smile remains after everything has been accepted.

An incredibly dreadful smile that tears at the corners.

"—I'll help out that brat, even if it means beating to death both good and bad guys."

[Hound Dog] is possessing a scent sensor.

Kihara Amata and [Hound Dog] will immediately find out this position, and come in with an attack.

First off, he'll counter-attack that one.

He wants a battlefield for that purpose. There's no spare time to loiter around at a location like this.

Between the lines 6

Tsuchimikado Motoharu runs for the gate connecting Academy City to the outside world.

The down-pouring shower not showing any sign of weakening at all, the moonlight being obstructed, and the sound of rainfall, are exerting an adverse effect onto the sound gathering work, and even the surrounding scent has been erased. The completely damp scenery, that much, is especially racking up the night battle's body count.

(Most of the town's facilities have been damn paralyzed. It's fortunate that neither rebellion nor robbery have arisen,)

Tsuchimikado seems to mutter in his mind while surveying his surroundings, not losing his running strength.

It's fine to say that the guardians of public order, Anti-skill and Judgment, are almost annihilated. It appears that some of the members can still move, but it's impossible for them to entirely cover Academy City with that many people. Should anyone realize the paralyzed status this town is in, the cash registers and the goods shelves will be raided and plundered.

The reason that it hasn't occurred at present is that since Academy City has basically set the last trains and buses to the final coming home time, majority of the populace doesn't notice the [outside disaster], and then before they could notice the [outside disaster], many of the students were also struck by an unidentified attack, and were caught into having their consciousness taken away.

Attack.

More accurately, an attack from the magic side.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu gnashes his teeth at those words.

Although, at the battle below, since their thoughts were made uniform as far as possible, a wave of very easy-to-understand feelings don't materialize.

([God's Right Seat]. I've heard stories about them, but I never expected them to go this far.)

Tsuchimikado had felt admiration instead while running through the streets that had become still as death.

It's an excellent magician.

Despite of this, they were swept away with so many large-scale magic attacks, and yet they themselves couldn't analyze what variety of art they've taken blows from. It's totally like being completely wrapped up in smoke.

(But I can't rest easy only with what Aleister said. I'm sure there are other groups here. With the situation where the town facilities are paralyzed, this town's finished were it to be trampled on by even these lot.)

The [God's Right Seat] not coming to break in at the same time with a battle unit is, in a word, strange. But that's probably only a problem with numbers. For example, if there are about 10,000 on standby outside, even if they break into Academy City, they'll end up fighting against all of the 2,300,000 inside. But if [God's Right Seat] manages to chip off Academy City's battle strength at the start, an invading force's loss ratio should be drastically reduced.

The enemy's battle numbers are unknown.

How they're stationed outside of Academy City's outer walls is probably unknown.

(…But, normally they would all break in at once, right?)

Academy City has 2,300,000 people, all hands. If for example the Roman Catholic Church throws 10,000,000 people at them, expressly standing by outside the walls is unnecessary. And even Vento as the vanguard would be unnecessary. It's sure to think of gaining total control by strength (Of course, there are sections where it's not possible to count the number of Academy City's ESPers and armed groups, but it's unlikely that the Roman Catholic Church has rightly recognized that).

At the present time, probably, there are surprisingly few people on alert.

With Vento striking first, their numbers are only sufficient for [cleanup] in the silenced streets.

(Even so, it doesn't look like I can meet them head on.)

Tsuchimikado Motoharu is not wishing for the enemy's annihilation.

Until Academy City's town facilities recover, the invading force standing by outside must absolutely not be let into the inner premises. That's his winning condition. This winning condition is what he, not Aleister, decided for himself. He can only leave Vento to other people.

But then, to continue keeping out the enemy which he doesn't know how long they will stay there, with no way of knowing when then town facilities will be restored, is almost tantamount to suicide.

(Mere Anti-skills are of no use. And other people just like me have their hands full with other things.)

He has no allies to help him out.

And he has no special weapons or magic to rely on to defuse the situation.

Even so,

(Maika is in this town.)

He thinks of his younger stepsister, no way connected to the world of magic, and is aiming to be a simple maid.

With that alone he's decided to prepare to battle.

(I don't care if I betray everything else, but I definitely won't betray her.)

Passing through the totally defenseless Gate No. 3, Tsuchimikado Motoharu goes outside.

As a master Onmyoudou magician.

As a useless Level 0.

To defend the world where his cherished one lives.