"Haha... finally. Something interesting has happened."
Accelerator watched the intruder with a cold, murderous smile.
"To see such a bloody scene and still smile... you remind me of the researchers at the Special Ability Institute years ago. Always smiling while they cut us open."
The atmosphere grew heavy. The air felt thick with oppression, saturated by the Level 5's killing intent.
"Judging by your lack of fear, you know who I am."
"Accelerator. The Strongest Esper. Ability: Vector Manipulation."
Yuuya stood with his hands in his pockets, mimicking Accelerator's slouch. He looked past the white-haired monster to the girl bleeding on the ground.
"I know your name very well. And I'm going to take that Misaka Sister with me. Could you please move aside?"
Misaka 9982, lying in the debris, looked up at him with unfocused eyes. She tried to speak, but only a weak wheeze escaped her throat. Her internal injuries were severe. If the bleeding wasn't stopped soon, she would go into shock.
"Tsk. So it's a leak. You're here to stop the experiment."
Accelerator's lips curled into a twisted grin.
"Since you know I'm the Number One... where do you find the courage to stand there and talk to me like that?"
This was a first. Usually, the "heroes" who came to stop him trembled in fear. They rushed him blindly, weapons shaking, only to end up screaming as he twisted their limbs backward.
But this guy? He was relaxed. He was... mocking him.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Yuuya sneered. "Who do you think you are? Just a big fish in a small pond. Do you really think your ability is invincible?"
"My ability... isn't invincible?"
Accelerator's red pupils contracted. He looked at Yuuya as if looking at a clown.
"Hey! You really are an interesting guy!"
Accelerator kicked a small pebble on the ground.
BOOM!
His foot transferred kinetic energy into the stone, amplifying the vector instantly. The pebble shot forward faster than a sniper bullet.
It struck the ground at Yuuya's feet.
The explosion was deafening. Shrapnel and dust erupted like a landmine going off, turning the concrete into shotgun pellets. If an ordinary person were standing there, their legs would have been shredded to ribbons.
Accelerator waited for the screams.
But as the dust settled, Yuuya was still standing there. He hadn't moved an inch. There wasn't a scratch on his white shirt.
"Huh?"
Accelerator scratched his ear, genuinely surprised.
"Completely unharmed. So, a defensive Esper? Level 4 Telekinesis? Or maybe an Aerohand variant?"
"Yeah. Just a Level 4," Yuuya lied smoothly, taking his hands out of his pockets. "But my Level 4 fists... hurt a little."
Yuuya clenched his right fist.
He pushed off the ground.
ZOOM.
Utilizing Xiao-Li to synchronize his muscles, he closed the distance instantly, moving faster than a professional sprinter.
He aimed a straight punch right at Accelerator's solar plexus.
"I wonder if your Vector Manipulation can reflect this. Get ready, Strongest."
Accelerator didn't dodge. He didn't block. He just stood there with a look of utter disdain.
Why would he move? His reflection was automatic. It was absolute. The moment that fist touched his skin, the vector would be reversed. The attacker's arm would snap like a twig.
'Die,' Accelerator thought.
But Yuuya didn't just punch.
As his fist traveled, his mind was calculating microseconds.
'The Reflection Shield works by reversing the vector of anything approaching the skin.'
'But what happens if I pull my fist back at the exact moment of impact?'
'If I pull back, the vector becomes "away from Accelerator." The Reflection Shield will reverse that vector... turning it into "towards Accelerator."'
'It will pull my fist into him.'
Yuuya's fist touched the AIM field.
In that nanosecond, Yuuya utilized the perfect body control of Xiao-Li to retract his muscles.
Accelerator's field reacted. It reversed the "pull."
CRACK!
The reflection didn't repel the fist—it accelerated it.
Yuuya's fist buried itself deep into Accelerator's stomach.
"Gah—?!"
Accelerator's eyes bulged. He curled up like a shrimp instantly.
The force lifted him off his feet. His nonchalant expression twisted into pure shock and agony. Saliva flew from his mouth.
He flew backward like a cannonball.
BOOM!
He crashed into the wall of the chemical factory, shattering the concrete, and tumbled into the dirt.
Accelerator lay there in a starfish position, drool dripping down his cheek, eyes rolled back in his head.
An unprecedented pain radiated from his stomach. His brain went blank.
This was the first time in over a decade that he had felt pain. The shock was almost enough to make him faint.
"Huff... Huff..."
Yuuya shook his hand, exhaling sharply.
"A punch with 25 tons of force... but only about 10% of it actually got through."
He analyzed the hit. Even with the Kihara Counter, Accelerator's calculation speed was insane. He had adjusted his reflection mid-impact, dispersing most of the energy.
If the full 25 tons had landed, Accelerator would have been a red mist. But even a fraction of that power was enough to drop a glass cannon like him.
Yuuya looked at the fallen monster. Accelerator was gasping for air, clutching his stomach, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Ignoring the strongest Esper, Yuuya turned and walked over to Misaka 9982.
He squatted down beside her and smiled gently.
"Don't move now. I'm getting you out of here."
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