BNHA: Accelerator The Strongest Hero

In a hospital room at the Fourth Hospital, Accelerator slowly opened his eyes, wearing a breathing mask. 

The first thing he saw was the hospital's white ceiling. As his crimson eyes gradually focused, his sense of confusion and fatigue quickly faded. 

Amid the familiar but slightly harsh smell of disinfectant, he stiffly lifted his left hand, which was attached to an IV drip. He slowly clenched and loosened his fist. 

As he moved, something seemed to snap into place in his mind, bringing him fully back to awareness. 

At that moment, an extremely rare expression of alarm appeared on his face. His sudden movement caused nearby medical equipment to clang together noisily. 

Though the sound wasn't particularly loud, the hospital's quiet atmosphere amplified even the smallest noise. 

This hospital was a highly specialized facility within the medical system, exclusively serving professional heroes and their families. 

Unless there was an emergency, doctors and staff here instinctively walked quietly and spoke in hushed tones, mindful of the many heroes receiving treatment and recovering within its walls. 

Just as Accelerator skillfully removed his breathing mask and prepared to toss it aside to get out of bed, the hospital's intercom broadcasted a message: 

"Dr. Black Jack from Internal Medicine, please report to Treatment Room 3 immediately." 

The announcement made him pause. 

(Even though I haven't seen that horned brat yet, since I'm already in the hospital, judging by the heroes' usual response speed, that kid probably didn't suffer any major problems.) 

Accelerator glanced at his slightly trembling left hand and muttered to himself. 

"Tch... Who would've thought... I'm getting jumpy again." 

"Seriously... every brat is nothing but trouble." 

Then, he saw someone sitting by his hospital bed. 

As expected, yet somehow unsurprisingly, the one there was the golden-haired girl—Shokuhou Misaki. 

Despite all the noise caused by Accelerator's awakening, the girl remained fast asleep, resting her head on his bed without a care in the world. 

He scratched his head in frustration and softly spoke to her: 

"You're such a meddlesome woman, but... thanks." 

It seemed that the recent battle, which had driven him deep into his subconscious, had largely resolved, though minor aftereffects still lingered. 

For example, his earlier series of reactions. 

It wasn't because he'd lost his abilities or computational power from the fight—far from it. 

His sensory system had simply been slowed down, 

Or perhaps, the flow of time itself had been "stretched."

It was as if one second had stretched into sixty, while on the other hand, it clearly showed that Accelerator had reached a certain "threshold." 

No, perhaps it was more accurate to say he had one foot already past that threshold. 

To better understand his current state, Accelerator skillfully raised his right hand—the one not hooked up to an IV—and touched his temple, using vector sensing through skin contact to check his condition. 

Aside from normal vital signs, the most crucial metric for an esper, "calculation ability," had improved significantly, even showing signs of qualitative change. 

Although previous increases in his calculation ability hadn't been as substantial, the sheer number of improvements made a difference. 

An average person likely wouldn't even think about *why* their power increased—most people only care about getting stronger. 

But Accelerator was no ordinary person. He believed that only power under control could truly be considered his own. 

He had already formed a rough idea about his calculation power's repeated growth, and after this latest improvement, his understanding became clearer. 

Whether it was a Quirk or an esper ability, their essence was the same—a force that let one's will affect the physical world. This was an absolute "formula" that he could fully grasp. 

However, as Academy City's strongest esper, he clearly understood that "esper abilities" were still incomplete. 

On a smaller scale, this was because no "Level 6" had ever been born, and even its parameters and phenomena remained unobservable. 

On a larger scale, another type of power constantly suppressed esper abilities in this world. 

If esper power were rated as a "1," then this mysterious opposing force would measure around "1.5 to 1.8" and might even approach "1.9" in extreme cases. 

In other words, it was a set of unknown laws that could surpass the rules of physics. 

Yet, the value of the "answer" Accelerator had forced out before came close to "2." 

Of course, this didn't mean his current power level was truly "2." It only indicated that his "answer" had reached the threshold of that strength. 

The power of intelligent beings depends on both "quality" and "quantity." 

The soul is the foundation of all intelligent life. 

Thus, a force driven by spiritual matter would naturally surpass "something else." 

In fact, the moment Accelerator touched the "threshold" called "truth," the "shackles" from the birth of the universe (from *A Certain Magical Index*) were forcibly broken. 

This meant that "vector manipulation" now operated based on the true laws of physics, undergoing a "secondary effect" or even "secondary evolution." His power was beginning to transcend the original "rules" of his world, becoming a freer existence. 

Change happens through contact, and reality reveals itself through change. 

For espers, experiencing emotions and understanding combat were forms of "practice." 

However, Accelerator himself was unaware of this crucial truth. 

The hospital room door opened, and in walked none other than Doctor Black Jack. 

Sensing something, the blonde-haired girl, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion while resting on his blanket, slowly woke up. 

Shokuhou Misaki woke up quickly because, even while asleep, she was always monitoring her surroundings. 

The reason she hadn't noticed Accelerator waking up was due to her extreme fatigue from waiting so long—and because she couldn't read his mind at all. 

Behind the attending doctor stood two familiar figures: Saten Ruiko and Eri. 

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