The sound of flesh being pounded resounded across Academy City. With every time that sound rang out, the cracks got larger. Just like an aftershock, the earth trembled and buildings frighteningly shook. None of the bystanders made a sound. Now, courage was needed to move one's sight away from this. Almost everyone was just blankly witnessing this scene.
"Urgh…"
At this time, Yomikawa Aiho woke up.
In her hazy consciousness she heard a roar. A roar that was more frightening than a beast's, more terrifying than a demon's. But she felt it was only the crying sounds of a helpless child.
He must be stopped.
Yomikawa thought naturally.
"Yomikawa!"
But, before she could act on her thought, her wrist had been grabbed by someone and was been taken speedily away from the scene. Such efficient skills could only mean it was someone from Anti-Skill that had taken her away. Though unlike Yomikawa who was in her jersey, this person had the full set of combat equipment such as guns and protective gear.
"…Let me go, Saigou. I'm not—"
"No way, Yomikawa!"
Yomikawa wanted to struggle, but she didn't have the strength. Now, from above came the *pada pada pada* sounds that stirred the air. She looked up, and black helicopters were flying in the sky above her. They were the state-of-the-art Six Wings.
"The recently restored satellite system detected anomalies. A distortion that not even the Theory of Relativity can explain has spread for the surrounding 100m. The analysis unit thinks it's the result of the AIM diffusion field being interfered with in a special way."
"And you people attacked the cause of this distortion without regard of your own lives? Stop kidding around!"
In her shouting Yomikawa ended up retching blood out from her mouth once more. This time she finally succeeded in breaking out of Saigou's grasp. But when she turned to look at her surroundings she discovered there were large numbers of fully-armed Anti-Skill members, powered suits, and armored vehicles setting up their positions. It was a scenario that was almost like it came straight out of a nightmare. An intense feeling of 'this is unreal' assaulted Yomikawa, who had some understanding about Accelerator's past.
When Accelerator was younger, he had been surrounded like this, lost all hope in life, and after surrendering he had been thrown into dark research labs.
This tragedy must not be allowed to repeat itself.
Yomikawa ignored the wound on the side of her stomach, and blocked the way in front of the other Anti-Skill members while she herself was covered in blood.
"Put down your guns! We don't need those to convince Accelerator!"
"But, Yomikawa!"
"Do you know who it is standing there?! That is a child that we must protect! Pointing guns at children, I'll never agree! How could I possibly agree to something like this!!"
Accelerator roared towards the sky.
The black wings behind him had surged out even more fiercely.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!"
*Don!* A shock wave spread out from him and assaulted everyone present.
This wasn't a physical attack, but a more simple instinctive reaction to their lives being threatened. The animal instinct everyone had was making everyone there feel like their chest was being compressed. If someone wasn't careful they would fall to the ground from this intense pressure. Accelerator's anger wasn't directed at the bystanders or at Anti-Skill. These things were no longer any concern for him. None of these mattered, the shards of these emotions were enough to let him rule this world, conquer this world, and destroy this world.
His target was supposed to be only Kakine Teitoku.
But, was one person really enough to let him release all that fury? After losing his target, would the aimless fury be directed at someone else? This possibility, no, this danger, was what people were afraid of.
(Dammit, is there… no other… ways left?)
Yomikawa tried to get close to Accelerator, but blood spurted out from her mouth. After seeing that Saigou panicked and quickly restrained her from behind and immobilized her. Even though she couldn't move, she still stared wide-eyed at Accelerator.
(Is there really no way to stop Accelerator? Like so, would that child's future be ended right here because of something as insignificant as this?!)
With another roar, the world had been dyed black. His black wings were showing despair beyond the territory of humans. Even without orders, some of the Anti-Skill members had raised their guns. But as soon as the trigger was pulled everything will be over. Accelerator's soul would be shattered once more, and it was possible that this time it could not be saved.
In front of the overwhelming power, anyone would lose hope.
They could only tremble in a corner, and pray they didn't get dragged into this.
In front of these people…
Their last hope (TN: reads as 'Last Order') had descended upon them.
The girl around 10 years old was running towards that intersection, pushing past the people that were bound by fear. She had brown hair around shoulder length, a lively expression, and wore a sky-blue one-piece dress with a male's t-shirt over it.
'I'm looking for a lost child', she once said.
Now that the child she was looking for was in front of her, she showed no fear. With the situation getting worse by the moment, she didn't care and went straight to Accelerator. From the bystanders' view everything was beyond repair, but nobody stopped her. Because by this time, she was too close to the center of this destruction.
"I found you, says Misaka as Misaka tries to communicates with you slowly."
She got closer towards the still howling Accelerator.
Accelerator slowly turned his head around.
*Boom!* an explosive sound rang out, as if a gale had swept through.
The action the strongest Level 5 in Academy City took was simple. The jet black wings ripped through the air, and with overwhelmingly massive power dealt a destructive blow.
In everyone's mind there was a picture of tragedy being painted.
Where Last Order's tiny body was being scattered onto the asphalt in pieces.
However…
With a sharp sound, the black wings stopped in front of Last Order.
The attack Accelerator had fired was stopped by an invisible wall. The black wings had stopped mere millimeters away from her face, going no closer and only trembling. But, she shouldn't have had the power to block this. Even if the whole world was searched, someone that could have blocked that blow might not be found.
If she couldn't do it, then who, and how had they blocked the black wings?
Yomikawa, who could only blankly stare at this situation, finally thought of an answer.
"Accelerator…"
Academy City's strongest Level 5. If someone could stop this unrivaled destructive power, then it could only be the one who possessed this power himself. At the end of the end, Accelerator had stopped his black wings.
The black wings were trembling.
Trembling as if a monster was whimpering.
At this time, a *boom* sound of gunpowder exploding rang out.
Yomikawa swiftly turned around, and saw one of the Anti-Skill members had opened fire without permission.
Not good!
Even though it was obvious that Last Order was right next to Accelerator, a gun was still fired.
Accelerator's black wings split apart, separated into countless sharp wings and aimed at the Anti-Skill members around him. Last Order had finally realized they had been attacked.
Boom! An attack with Accelerator at its center was projected out around him.
"Stop! says Misaka as Misaka advises!"
Last Order said one sentence.
As if taking that sentence as a cue, the point of the sharp wing that reached for the throat of an Anti-Skill member suddenly stopped.
"It is alright now, says Misaka as Misaka holds out her arms."
The young girl knew what the current situation was. Even though she knew how dangerous an existence Accelerator was, she still reached out with her slim hands.
"You don't have to do something like this anymore, says Misaka as Misaka tries to convey the correct words."
As if to blow apart these words, the black wings once again struck toward her.
But, the black wings once again stopped in front of her, along with a *kacha* blunt sound. Accelerator was conflicted. In his heart, he continued to scream out to give up on everything. If he had to have memories of something like this, if he had to repeat these kinds of tragedies, he might as well abandon everything. But, in the end he could not abandon them. Even though he could kill her with only a finger, even though he could blow her away easily, no matter what, Accelerator could not abandon this hope.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
Roar.
The sound of the black wings waving about could still be heard.
But, the overwhelming pressure from before could not be felt now. Last Order only watched on. Facing the waves of attack coming one after another, she didn't even blink. Because of the trust between them, she didn't feel the slightest bit of fear.
The twin wings swelled to the largest it ever had, and with all its might it swung down onto her.
And when this attack had reached in front of Last Order, Accelerator's own movements stopped.
With his head lowered, nobody could see his expression.
The black wings behind him soundlessly dispersed. Now Accelerator's body lost all its strength, and fell shakily slowly towards the front.
Last Order opened her arms wide, and welcomed Accelerator into her arms. Even though she almost collapsed under his weight she still held him tight and would not let go.
Finally, she whispered into Accelerator's ear softly,
"What a relief, says Misaka as Misaka is glad."