After a quick tending-to of the body of 10030, Lin Luo carried her a few dozen meters away to a stairwell, then turned back to face the strongest esper in Academy City once more.

"Well then, sorry to have kept you waiting, Accelerator!"

"Tch, how unnecessary. Even if you save that doll now, she'll just die again during the next experiment." Accelerator voiced his utter disdain, both for the situation and for the fate of Misaka 10030.

"That's not necessarily true..." Lin Luo sneered, walking forward as he spoke. "If I defeat you here, the premise for the experiment vanishes. The Level 5 Project will naturally be canceled, and not a single Sister will have to die!"

"Huh?" Accelerator roared with laughter, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing imaginable. "Gahahaha... Have you lost your mind? I am the undisputed apex among Academy City's seven Level 5 espers! Defeat me? Do you think you're a god? That's a hilarious joke."

"You can only laugh for this much longer..."

Saying this, Lin Luo suddenly accelerated, charging toward Accelerator.

"Right here! Right now!"

His right fist clenched, raised high above his head.

"I shall represent every otaku across the entire world!"

In an instant, he was in front of Accelerator.

"I will crush you with the power of love!"

His fist shot out violently, aimed directly at Accelerator's face.

"Tch!" Accelerator spat dismissively, making no move to dodge the mighty punch coming his way. One of his abilities was reflection; any vector applied to him would be entirely reflected back—the greater the force of the attack, the greater the force of the rebound.

Though he didn't know how Lin Luo had managed to withstand his earlier storm, he was certain that whatever ability Lin Luo possessed could do him no harm. Attacking him so bravely but foolishly would only hasten his death.

"I thought perhaps you could entertain me for a bit, but it seems..."

Bang!

Before he could finish his sentence, Accelerator suddenly felt an immense force slam into his face. The next moment, he felt his body fly backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.

"Huh?!" Lying on the ground, Accelerator was utterly bewildered, completely failing to grasp what had just happened, except for a burning sensation on his face. He instinctively reached up to wipe it, and on his hand, he saw something scarlet... Blood. It was his blood! He had been punched in the face hard enough to get a nosebleed!

Accelerator could hardly believe it was real. Since childhood, he had only ever seen this substance on others. For him... getting a nosebleed had never happened, and was fundamentally impossible!

But now...

"Ah... Ha? O-ow... What is this? How interesting! Hahahaha! Damn it! Wonderful! This is amazing! Your punch actually hit me!" Accelerator began to laugh maniacally, like a demon about to hatch.

"Say, are you a masochist? You get this excited after being made to bleed? Is it because you've never been hit before, so this novelty brings you pleasure? Or is this just your natural disposition?"

Lin Luo looked down at Accelerator, shaking his head in amazement.

Ignoring Lin Luo’s scornful taunts, Accelerator rose from the ground, the smile on his face growing even more twisted. "Hahahaha! Fine. It seems someone genuinely interesting has finally appeared. This tedious experiment is finally starting to get fun!"

"Tedious? You always found this experiment tedious?" Lin Luo's expression darkened. "If so, then why did you even participate? Don't you know that because you took part in this 'boring' experiment, over ten thousand Sisters have died?!"

"Ha! What does that have to do with me!" Accelerator roared with laughter. "While the experiment is a little dull, it allows me to become invincible—isn't that appealing? Besides, those ten thousand-plus Sisters you speak of are nothing more than lab animals; they can hardly be called human!"

"Is that so? I see! I thought there might still be hope for you, but..." As he spoke, Lin Luo clenched his fists, his eyes now filled with killing intent. "If those are your true feelings, then I will utterly shatter your dream of invincibility!"

Swish!

Having absorbed the computational capacity of the Misaka Network, Lin Luo's strength had already reached the peak of a Level 4 Great Esper. Utilizing bio-electricity to stimulate his physique, his speed far surpassed Accelerator’s. With just a slight side-step, before Accelerator could react, Lin Luo was already behind him, throwing a punch.

"Uwaa... Ptooey!"

Accelerator dry-heaved, feeling as if he had been struck by a truck, tilting violently forward.

Then, before he could even land, Lin Luo was in front of him again, his fist smashing viciously into Accelerator's abdomen. A mouthful of bright red blood sprayed from Accelerator’s mouth, sending his body flying again. A look of agony crossed his face as he fell to the ground, writhing and struggling.

"Ah... Damn it! What the hell is wrong with you? How can you hit me? Who are you?!" After being knocked down multiple times without any chance to counterattack, Accelerator completely lost his composure, roaring madly.

"Who... am I?"

Lin Luo spoke, his tone suddenly deepening. He walked slowly, step by step, toward Accelerator. "I come from the distant horizon, to carry out the sin of love and truth, to forge the grandest crystal palace in history. I will... fear no challenge, disregard all hardship, and strike down every villain who stands in my way... And you, Accelerator, are merely my first stepping stone!"

"Talking nonsense... Ptoo!" Accelerator staggered to his feet, spitting out a mouthful of bloody phlegm. Anger made his voice tremble slightly. "Stepping stone or not... you bastard! Don't underestimate..."

Accelerator stomped his foot hard onto the ground, causing the earth to explode with a deafening sound, kicking up hundreds of fragments of rock!

"...me!"

The hundreds of rock fragments, large and small, shot toward Lin Luo like bullets, emitting a sharp, piercing sound as they cut through the air.

Seeing this, Lin Luo inwardly cursed, rapidly accelerating backward. Blue-white currents burst forth from his body with a crackling bili-pala sound, pulverizing every single piece of flying debris instantly!

"Too slow!"

Just as he stabilized himself, Accelerator's furious roar echoed in his ears, accompanied by a dull, oppressive aura surging in from all directions... Accelerator was manipulating the very wind of Academy City, forming a colossal tornado that completely enveloped Lin Luo!

Crack!

A harsh, grating sound erupted from within the tornado. The wind, which seemed capable of tearing everything apart, instantly dissipated.

Accelerator paused, then laughed. "I see. I almost forgot; you can cancel some of my abilities, like wind... It seems I can't use this kind of airflow."

"Heh, it's not just wind," Lin Luo returned a smile. Of course, there was no friendliness in either of their smiles.

"I thought so too. While I still don't fully understand your ability, after those few exchanges, I can probably guess one or two things..." At this point, Accelerator grinned widely, his face filled with savagery. "In any case, you're finished, brat!"

"What did you say? Brat!"

Hearing this, Lin Luo's expression immediately changed. That word was a forbidden phrase to him. Transforming from an adult into a little kid—unable to pursue the girls he wanted, unable to wield the weapon he desired—it was so tragic, so agonizing, so utterly frustrating... Endless resentment coalesced in that moment.

Lin Luo straightened his chest, his gaze sharpening. He straightened his imposing body, his kingly aura erupting forth, his image instantly appearing taller. He snorted coldly: "Hmph, how superficial. Ever since I became an inhabitant of the Two-Dimensional world as the King of Conquests, spanning from the primordial epoch of ancient times to the futuristic fantasy ages, from the confines of a tiny classroom to the vastness of entire worlds... traces of my conquests remain in every corner of the Earth and the universe. You, a petty Lolicon Accelerator, dare to judge me by my appearance—calling me a brat... You are actively seeking your OWN DEATH!"

The powerful, metallic voice fully conveyed the rage in Lin Luo's heart.

"Lolicon Accelerator?!"

Simultaneously, blue veins popped on Accelerator’s forehead as he gritted his teeth, the sound like crushing stone.

"...You bastard... you're dead!!"

P.S.: The third update has been delivered. I will continue to strive to see if I can churn out a fourth chapter.