I, Kurumi Tokisaki, Am a Wanderer

Accelerator lightly tapped the ground, launching himself forward like a rocket.

His mouth twisted into a manic grin as laughter poured out, broken and unhinged.

The pale face of his distorted smile grew larger in Kurumi's vision with each passing second.

According to the Tree Diagram's analysis, if Accelerator were to face the "Nightmare," he would lose in the seventy-ninth exchange.

Before then, his probability of victory stood at less than 40%.

However, as the number of battles increased, Accelerator's odds would steadily climb, eventually reaching 100%.

This was because he needed time to fully analyze and calculate Kurumi's abilities, adapting his responses and adjusting the properties of his powers.

Accelerator's true strength didn't lie in his abilities alone, but in his mind—a level of intelligence that transcended human comprehension.

...

As Accelerator charged toward her, Kurumi smiled and adjusted her skirt as she walked forward to meet him.

Her boots clacked against the ground, a rhythmic, almost cheerful sound.

Under the brilliant summer-like sunlight, her form cast a shadow darker than usual on the ground.

The shadow lengthened and darkened, spreading wherever it touched.

Though this Kurumi was but a clone, lacking access to the full power of Zafkiel, there were still tools at her disposal.

...

Accelerator surged toward Kurumi with the speed of a cannonball.

In a single bound, he crossed more than ten meters, closing the distance between them in an instant.

Extending his hand, he reached for Kurumi. His movements seemed gentle, almost tender—but the intent was lethal.

If he so much as touched her, her blood could be drained, her bones twisted into powder, her entire body obliterated.

Accelerator knew that, without analyzing Kurumi's shadow abilities, he would likely lose in a direct confrontation. That's why he opted for a preemptive strike.

Kurumi chuckled softly, mimicking Misaka Mikoto's stance as she drew her signature iron sand sword. But instead of iron, Kurumi pulled a black-and-red shadow blade from the ground.

The slender blade shimmered in her hand. Wielding the shadowy sword like a bamboo stick, she swung it upward in a slicing arc.

"Length grants strength."

Accelerator eyed the narrow, crimson-black blade in her hands and stomped heavily on the ground.

He manipulated the flow of air, summoning winds exceeding 120 meters per second. The violent gusts roared as he used them to propel himself backward, creating distance.

Even Academy City's strongest air manipulators couldn't conjure winds this fierce.

Kurumi paid no heed to swordsmanship technique or form. She wielded her shadow blade freely, slashing through the air with reckless abandon. The blade effortlessly tore through the gale, rending the powerful winds as though they were nothing but mist.

Accelerator lowered his gaze, staring at the slim, black-and-red blade with deep thought.

"Just like the second-ranked esper's powers," he mused. "This attack doesn't conform to the physical laws of this world. It's an anomaly outside my calculations."

He had no intention of letting that blade touch him.

But if he didn't take a hit, how could he analyze its properties?

Leaning his shoulder against a nearby abandoned car, the pale boy's expression shifted into one of frenzied excitement.

Reaching out, he gently brushed his fingers against the car's frame. In the next instant, the vehicle shot forward like an arrow, hurtling toward Kurumi.

Kurumi leapt nimbly out of the way, her movements as graceful as a black-and-red butterfly dancing in the wind.

"Come on! Come on!" Accelerator cackled madly, sprinting across the abandoned parking lot.

With each of Accelerator's steps, abandoned cars and their battered shells were flung into the air, crashing toward Kurumi like battering rams.

But Kurumi, agile as ever, moved like a butterfly of death. Her nimble, graceful movements allowed her to weave effortlessly through the gaps, avoiding the onslaught.

Light and alluring, she carried a deadly aura with her every step.

A narrow car axle, as sharp and imposing as a holy sword, plunged into the ground inches from where she had just passed.

Kurumi pursued Accelerator, only to find him standing atop a mountain of shattered glass, his wicked grin spreading across his pale face, teetering on the edge of madness.

Lifting his right foot, Accelerator stomped down hard on the glass mound, sending a cascade of shards into the air.

It was as if a meteor had struck the ocean, launching a storm of glass into Kurumi's path. The shards moved faster than sound, forming a tornado of razor-sharp debris that threatened to shred everything in its wake.

Kurumi's reflexes kicked in, her hands crossing before her chest before she sharply pulled them apart, as though tearing something invisible.

A narrow, black-and-red rift opened in front of her, perfectly shielding her from the incoming glass.

At the same time, another rift split open just behind her.

The whistling glass storm tore through the rift before her and emerged from the one behind, flying harmlessly into the distance.

The glass storm came as quickly as it went, lasting less than a second before it was over.

The once-empty parking lot was now studded with shards of glass, jutting out from the ground like crystalline spires. Under the sunlight, they gleamed dangerously, a beauty born of destruction.

But Kurumi heard something unusual amidst the quiet.

Emerging from the remnants of the storm, a pale, slender figure closed the gap between them.

Behind Accelerator extended four sharp, black tornadoes, whirling like wings. These "wings" propelled him forward, closing the distance to Kurumi in an instant.

Accelerator reached out, his right hand moving toward Kurumi with a deceptive tenderness.

His fingertip lightly tapped her cheek, his Vector Manipulation ability in full force.

Yet, the spectacle he had envisioned—the image of Kurumi's body being flung into the air like a spinning top—did not happen.

If not for the active feedback from his Reflection and Vector Manipulation formulas, Accelerator might have wondered if he had somehow lost his powers.

Kurumi raised her hand.

Accelerator's eyes widened as he noticed what she was holding. At some point, Kurumi had drawn two ancient firearms: a flintlock and a short pistol.

With a flap of his tornado-like wings, Accelerator shot backward, widening the distance between them in an instant.

Kurumi raised the flintlock in one hand, taking aim at Accelerator.

She spoke softly, her voice carrying an almost ritualistic weight.

"Vengeance—"

"—Counterattack!"

A silver bullet streaked forth from the barrel, glowing with a supernatural sheen. She had deliberately imbued the shot with a special "silver bullet" effect.

Accelerator's sharp gaze tracked the incoming projectile.

Compared to the bizarre, otherworldly shadows Kurumi wielded, this bullet seemed almost mundane. He'd much rather deal with something straightforward.

He extended his left hand, preparing to catch it.

But the unexpected happened.

His Reflection didn't activate. The bullet pierced straight through his palm, drilling deep into his flesh.

His entire left forearm twisted grotesquely as though wrung by an invisible force.

"ARGHHHHHHH!"

A scream of agony escaped his lips as he clutched his left elbow, his pale face drenched in cold sweat.

"How... How is this possible?" Accelerator muttered, his voice trembling. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he stared at the blood dripping from his mangled hand.

Blood dripped from the limp arm, sliding off the fingertips as Accelerator, now distanced from Kurumi, wore a twisted expression.

The undefeated and unscathed legend of Accelerator had been broken.

How long had it been… since he had last been injured? He panted lightly, his gaze flickering.

Using his ability to forcefully close the wound, he barely managed to stem the bleeding, but in this battle, his left arm was essentially useless.

However, what occupied Accelerator's mind at this moment was far beyond the state of his injured arm.

His brain was working furiously, analyzing Kurumi's attack.

That was definitely no ordinary bullet—in fact, it might not even qualify as a "bullet" at all.

His limp arm revealed no traces of shrapnel.

It was her ability.

Suppressing the sensation in his left arm entirely, his expression eased just a little.

Accelerator was not a natural "gemstone." Using his ability required extensive calculations, and pain directly affected his performance.

"Next time, next time I'll make you pay!" Accelerator spat, throwing out a harsh taunt.

"The same attack won't work on me twice."

Though he still couldn't understand how she bypassed his ability, at least he wouldn't be taken down again by a single shot piercing through his reflective barrier.

"Mm-hmm, I understand," Kurumi smiled, her expression that of an older sister coaxing a little girl with a lollipop.

The black and red shadows coalesced in her hands once more, transforming into a long, narrow military saber.

Kurumi's lips curled upward slightly, as if to say, "Come on, big guy, let's play~ A few slashes won't hurt, right?"

Accelerator's caution deepened.

Kurumi swung the blade chaotically as she gave chase, while Accelerator stomped on the ground, springing away like a loaded spring.

But the blade in Kurumi's hand grew longer and longer, each slash cutting deep into the ground.

"Ah, come on, don't run~"

She acted like she was just playing with Accelerator.

Behind him, the tornado-like wings of wind roared as Accelerator landed sharply on the ground, gray-black winds sweeping over the earth.

The countless shards of glass embedded in the parking lot earlier began to rise, flying straight toward the sky. Under the sunlight, they sparkled brilliantly, resembling falling stars.

Looking at his ruined left arm, Accelerator gritted his teeth. It seemed he would have to rely on this arm to figure out exactly how her ability worked.

But amidst the swirling storm of shattered glass, Accelerator noticed something curious.

Kurumi spread out her shadows.

Why wasn't she nullifying the glass shards with her ability, like she had done with his attacks? She could neutralize his abilities, yet she chose to shield herself against the flying glass.

Accelerator grinned wickedly, the black dragon-like wind behind him gently flapping as he charged toward Kurumi once more.

Sidestepping the descending shadow blade, he reached his right hand toward Kurumi.

The shadow blade dissipated in her hand as Kurumi once again gripped her dual pistols, unleashing a barrage of suppressive fire at Accelerator like a storm.

"I already told you—the same attack doesn't work on me twice!" Accelerator swatted at the oncoming bullets as if batting away flies.

Through Reflection, the bullets ricocheted back along their original trajectories, speeding straight toward Kurumi.

Do you still remember the fear of being killed by your teammates' attacks in the Light of Lukedonia?

"Che," Kurumi clicked her tongue, her steps light and ethereal as she vanished from sight.

"So that's how it is! So that's how it is!" Accelerator roared with laughter. "Your so-called invincibility... it's not always on, is it?"

For a moment, he had genuinely believed her ability was akin to his Reflection, active at all times. But now, understanding this limitation, he felt victory was within his grasp.

With confidence swelling in his chest, Accelerator was certain: once he unraveled the mysteries of her strange shadows, nothing would stand in his way. This world would once again fall beneath his feet.

Gripping a nearby bent streetlamp, he ripped it from the ground and hurled it at Kurumi with terrifying force.

But that wasn't enough. Cars, steel beams, scaffolding—everything within his line of sight became a weapon in his hands, flying toward Kurumi like projectiles.

The objects collided mid-air, twisting and contorting with loud, resonant booms like the tolling of enormous bells. They piled up, forming a small mountain of debris that seemed to entomb Kurumi beneath it.

Accelerator braced himself, his right hand resting on his knee as he caught his breath.

Reflexively, he raised his mangled left hand to wipe his face, only to feel a cool, sticky sensation. Looking at the limp, blood-soaked hand, he was momentarily stunned.

The realization hit him: he had been injured earlier by that cursed bullet.

"Ugh, I forgot... I can actually get hurt, huh," he muttered, an almost bitter laugh escaping his lips. With a heavy stomp, the ground beneath him split open, swallowing the debris pile into a gaping chasm.

Another stomp caused the fissure to snap shut, leaving behind only a faint mound of disturbed earth.

"Well, aren't you environmentally friendly," a soft, teasing voice suddenly whispered behind him.

Cold sweat broke out across Accelerator's body as he spun around.

Without thinking, he swung his limp left arm, using centrifugal force to lash it toward the voice. Even an immobile hand, once it made contact, could trigger Vector Manipulation and force his opponent into a defensive stance.

At the same time, the black tornadoes behind him twisted and surged, striking toward Kurumi from four directions like ravenous serpents.

If he could trap her in her supposed "invincible" state and wait it out, victory would be his.

But as he turned, his eyes caught sight of a faint, pure white light—a pinprick of brilliance cradled in Kurumi's hands.

"What... is that?" Accelerator muttered, his voice tinged with confusion.

The light was shaped like a starburst, a radiant cross nestled against Kurumi's chest. Framed by her black-and-red dress and delicate skin, the glowing object exuded a strange, otherworldly allure—both sacred and sinister.

But beneath its beauty, Accelerator's instincts screamed danger.

The dimensions seemed to ripple violently, as though an unseen hand were churning the fabric of reality itself.

If this had been an ordinary spatial ability user, Accelerator wouldn't have flinched. He would've simply relied on Reflection to neutralize any threat.

But against this opponent, uncertainty gnawed at him.

Silent waves of white energy began to expand outward from the star, washing over Accelerator and the entire parking lot. The waves spread with eerie precision, consuming every corner before contracting abruptly, like a tide receding.

Accelerator's heart pounded erratically as he watched in disbelief. The energy's boundary cut through the parking lot, slicing cleanly through matter and obliterating everything it touched. Whatever the light enveloped was erased from existence as if carved away by an invisible blade.

What do I do? What do I do?

Panic surged through his mind as he struggled to formulate a plan. Then, in desperation, he dropped to one knee and drove his fist into the ground with all his might.

The impact created a massive crater, and without hesitation, Accelerator dove into the pit, disappearing from sight just as the white energy contracted further.

...

A low, resonant hum filled the air as the energy collapsed upon itself, leaving behind a hollow silence.

Kurumi stood at the edge of the now-scarred parking lot, her golden and crimson eyes glinting with satisfaction.

The phenomenon was unmistakable.

—Spacequake.

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