One-way traffic

Accelerator's message is already very clear.

He will not become a hero, nor can he become a so-called hero; everything he did was simply what a villain should do.

Yes, a true, top-tier villain.

This is the one who reigns supreme on the strongest throne in Academy City.

However, even so.

Even so, you still saved us, didn't you?

Takibayashi couldn't help but chuckle.

"You did save our lives in that absolutely critical moment. Whether you're a villain or a hero, it doesn't matter, does it?"

"All I need to know is that you did save our lives. As for the rest? It doesn't matter. I don't want to thank any hero or villain, just... Accelerator, this human being, right?"

"So please accept our thanks."

Accelerator narrowed his eyes slightly.

Takibayashi's words seemed to have struck a chord with some deep-seated thought in his heart.

…But now he quickly abandoned it.

"boring."

The first ability user said no more and stepped on the accelerator without hesitation.

Hatsune Miku and Takibayashi both gave wry smiles; they seemed to have grown accustomed to everything Accelerator did.

Okay, okay, gentle villain.

——————————————————————————————————————

Accelerator, with a few others, drove the car all the way back into the city.

Takibayashi and Hatsune Miku sat in the car, each opening a can of food and eating it simply.

"Speaking of which, Yifang, you can actually drive? I remember your body was severely damaged due to a brain issue."

"Although the brain is in charge of the torso, the crack on my head only affects my sense of balance, which is why I need this thing as an aid."

As he spoke, the first person pointed to the cane that was placed to the side.

"As for driving? Why do you think I can't even do something so basic?"

As the number one being in Academy City, Accelerator is not only the strongest esper, but also the most outstanding student in the entire Academy City.

To unleash the strongest superpowers, especially the power to manipulate all energy directions, to their limit, or even to their absolute maximum, one must possess an ultimate brain to match. For Accelerator, computing power is merely an aid to his brain. Even though his computing power, now aided by the Misaka Network, is less than half of what it used to be, his strength remains undeniable.

The amount of knowledge contained in his mind was simply too vast. Driving a vehicle was just one aspect; he had even read all the books on economics, social sciences, psychiatry, and even quantum mechanics all by himself.

The terror of the number one is unimaginable, not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of knowledge.

This is just a tiny fraction of what Accelerator is capable of.

"...So why should I explain such boring things to you?"

Even Accelerator himself couldn't figure this out.

Just like her past self, that demon whose hands were stained with countless blood actually had the interest to explain to a little girl who, theoretically, would have been killed by her more than ten thousand times, why her hair was white and her eyes were red.

I really don't understand where exactly the change occurred.

And so, they drove all the way here, and by then all three of them had finished their lunch break.

Accelerator needs no introduction; he's a major carnivore, and even canned food can't be without large chunks of meat.

Perhaps eating meat until he dies wouldn't be such a bad way for him to die.

Their car got back on the right road, and that's how they made their way back to their villa.

……Then.

And so they witnessed a scene that even they themselves could hardly have imagined.

"……what?"

The car suddenly stopped.

"What happened? Why did you suddenly stop?"

"Are there more zombies ahead?"

The first person ignored what they were saying and opened the car door without hesitation.

Takibayashi and Hatsune Miku also got out of the car together, and they followed Accelerator, looking over there.

That location is where their original villa used to be.

And then, that's how it is.

The villa turned to ashes right before their eyes.

Boom! An unimaginable explosion instantly engulfed the entire house, and just like that, the villa where they had stayed for only one night was instantly met with a devastating blow.

All three of them froze on the spot, including Accelerator himself.

Because there is no reason.

Why? Why did the villa explode? What caused it? Or who did it? There's simply no explanation.

Then, something even more astonishing happened.

As soon as the explosion at the villa ended, tens of thousands of zombies surged out from all around them.

"Hey, Yifang! More zombies have appeared!"

"Why, why did this happen? And even the villa was blown up..."

What happened?

For the first time, the strongest ability user felt that things were starting to slip out of his control. Originally, all of this should have been part of his pre-arranged plan.

"Tsk...!!"

He was furious and turned on the electrode switch.

Boom! A violent earthquake destroyed everything around it.

All the zombies were blasted into the sky by his shockwave. Accelerator mercilessly manipulated the hurricane, causing a storm far exceeding any level of typhoon in the world to tear the zombies' bodies apart.

This is definitely not an accident.

The destruction of the villa was something the zombies couldn't have accomplished on their own, and with so many zombies suddenly appearing, it all seemed like it was all preordained.

And all of this happened the instant they returned to the villa.

"Hey, Yifang! There are still so many zombies?!"

"Oh no...they're coming after us!"

Takibayashi and Hatsune Miku immediately reminded Accelerator.

The first ability user said nothing; he stomped his right foot on the ground as if venting his frustration.

The wind pressure propelled the two of them instantly to the interior of a safe building.

but.

"...Hey, Hatsune-chan, have you noticed something's off?"

"Huh? Could it be...?"

Both Hatsune Miku and Takibayashi realized something unimaginable at that moment.

As if to verify everything, they quickly ran to the power outlet on the building and connected their phone charging cable to the outlet.

no response.

Although the phone was lit up, it did not show any charging status.

power cut.

The entire city was completely cut off from power, reverting to a state akin to that of primitive society.

For Accelerator, his most important source of power was completely gone.

"This is the effect."

In a place where no one can find them, only one person enjoys the power supply.

He was wearing a cloak, and his left eye was a deep blue like a will-o'-the-wisp. You could tell he was male just by his voice, and he was probably around eighteen years old.

If Hatsune Miku and Takibayashi were here, they would immediately recognize that this person was the same man who had approached them in the first place.

He is the mastermind behind all of this.

"They control zombies to sabotage your power supply, and then destroy your shelter. In this way, you will have nothing: electricity, food, and shelter."

"Faced with such a massive zombie invasion, even that white-haired guy probably wouldn't last long, right?"

The man sat down on a chair to the side with an air of nonchalance, sneering as he watched everything unfold.

"Although I still want to continue playing with you guys, unfortunately, I've run out of patience."

"You will all die here."

————————————————————————————————————————

Is that all there is to it?

The first ability user stood alone in place, completely unconcerned about the attacks from the zombies around him.

No matter how the zombies bite and pounce on the Accelerator, they will not succeed. The reflected force will destroy them all. It is simply the zombies' own destruction.

However, the power had already gone out, and Accelerator had only managed to bring a few of the power banks he had found with him. The rest, along with the villa, were destroyed in the explosion.

This couldn't have been a coincidence; someone must have been manipulating it all behind the scenes.

One-way understood this completely.

He slowly raised his head, revealing an unimaginable expression on his face that was hidden from view.

It was a silence as deep as a storm.

"...Is that all there is to it? You enjoy hiding in the shadows and doing these despicable things to disgust me, right?"

He made a move.

The first ability user merely flicked his finger, and all the zombies were blown away.

"what."

then.

"Ha, ahahaha! Gahaaaahahahahahaha!!!"

He grinned.

As the strongest overlord of Academy City, the number one esper has returned to the realm of monsters.

He burst into laughter at the monster's maniacal laugh.

"Hahahaha!!! How despicable! You really want to push me to the limit? You want to disgust me with your laughable tricks, is that it? That's what it is!"

The first one made the decision.

Since the other party wanted to play so ruthlessly, he wouldn't hold back either.

It doesn't matter who that person is or what their purpose is.

There's only one thing this monster can do.

"Indeed, in this terrible situation, not only is there no power supply, but my power storage, resources, and shelter have also been destroyed. For me, this is undoubtedly the worst possible situation."

"But."

He grinned, unleashing a twisted, extreme smile.

"—Even if I've become weaker, it doesn't mean you've become stronger, right? Huh?!"

Bang——! ! !

The monster plunged its hand into the ground.

then.